Two women have been seriously injured by a falling tree in Suffolk as Storm Evert continues to batter the South East of England.

The Met Office has issued weather and flood warnings, with thunderstorms and heavy rain forecast over the weekend.

Yellow wind warnings are in place for coastal areas in the South East and East Anglia, and thunderstorm warnings for a swathe of England from Nottingham to Norwich and north as far as Hull.

It comes as Suffolk police were called to an incident near Heveningham after an oak tree fell during a private outdoor party.

A statement from the force said: “Officers are currently at the scene of an incident near Heveningham where two people have been injured.

“Police received a report at about 6.35pm this evening that an oak tree had fallen at Ubbeston and injured two females in the process.

“The two victims, aged in their 20s, sustained serious injuries in the incident.

“It is understood the pair were in attendance with others at a private outdoor party.”

Fire, ambulance and air ambulance were also called to the scene. The women were taken to hospital for treatment.

The Met Office said that “further heavy downpours” were expected on Saturday, the worst of which would be central, eastern and southern England.

Storm Evert, which began on Thursday evening, produced gusts of winds close to 70mph across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

The highest gust recorded so far was 69mph in St Mary’s in the Isles of Scilly, the Met Office said.

RNLI volunteer crew from St Mary’s and Sennen Cove spent Thursday night helping to rescue people from yachts around the Isles of Scilly.

Falmouth Coastguard Operations Centre reported a total of 22 incidents on Thursday night.

Campers also felt the full force of the winds with some claiming to have been “caught out” by late storm warnings.

Mark Morgan-Hillam, 48, his wife, Leanne, 43, and children who are four, 10 and 14 respectively, went camping just above Polzeath, Cornwall, on Thursday evening.

The deputy head teacher from Appley Bridge, Wigan, told the PA news agency: “The lack of warning was an issue.

“It was only at 9/10pm at night that we noticed the storm warning had changed to amber and I think that caught a lot of people out on our site who went to bed thinking it would be windy, but not blow their tent over.”