Heavy rain has battered parts of the UK as forecasters warned of little respite from the deluge on Thursday and Friday.

A yellow warning, issued by the Met Office, is in place until 11.45pm on Thursday – covering much of the south of Britain – with the risk of flooding across southern England and south Wales, stretching as far north as the West Midlands.

It is likely the Met Office will be issuing further warnings across the weekend, the forecasting body said.

Chief meteorologist Jason Kelly said: “The rain will be persistent for some and may be particularly heavy in a few places.

“Rainfall totals of 15-30mm are expected widely, however the wettest areas are likely to see 40-60mm through the whole of Friday, with a lower likelihood of a few areas seeing as much as 75-100mm.

“In addition, rain may well be accompanied by thunderstorms across the South West during the early hours of Friday morning and during the afternoon and evening, across the South East.”

The Met Office told of a North-South divide in the weather, with the South experiencing “pulses of heavy rain” over the next few days and drier, warmer conditions in the North.

The east of the UK should see cool and cloudier weather while the West experiences warmth and sun, with the north west of Scotland potentially seeing temperatures of 27C.

A further warning comes into force throughout Friday, covering a similar area in England and south-east Wales.

The Met Office said heavy rain may lead to travel disruption and flooding.

Following on from Thursday’s rain, this will increase the possibility of travel disruption from flooding with a slight chance of power cuts and a small chance of some communities being cut off by flooded roads and deep floodwater causing a danger to life.

Commuters and motorists are warned to expect spray and sudden flooding, leading to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.

Saturday is forecast to remain unsettled with outbreaks of rain, some of it heavy across the South, into Sunday before turning showery with brighter spells.

There has been disruption to South Western Railway (SWR) services following the forecast of “severe weather” between Axminster and Honiton in Devon.

There was a landslip at Honiton Tunnel earlier in the year.

A tree blocking the railway between Hilsea and Fareham has meant trains are running at reduced speed on all lines, SWR said on Thursday afternoon.

The Environment Agency in England issued two flood alerts – meaning flooding is possible – for Scrase Bridge and West Common streams, in Haywards Heath and Lindfield, and for Lower Avon and tributaries.

But no warnings have been issued by Natural Resources Wales.