Rough weather sweeps in as West is battered by Atlantic storm bringing heavy rain and gale-force winds

• A severe weather warning issued by the Met Office covers Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Wales and the Manchester area
• A holiday beach in Dorset sealed off after thousands of tons of rock crashed down on to the sands
• But warm weather on the way this weekend with temperatures set to hit 32C (90F) in the south east - potentially the hottest day of the year

Rain and gales have been battering half of Britain today as the weather took a stormy turn.
The west of the country has been the worst hit, with hazardous conditions on the roads, thunderstorms and flash flooding.
But most eastern areas have been spared, and have enjoyed a largely dry and sunny day with just a few scattered showers.

This woman doesn't appear to realise how cruel the sea can be as she plays with her son on the seafront at Penzance

Penzance at high tide this evening as huge waves and strong wind hit the front of the Cornish coastal town

A mother and son play with the waves on Penzance sea front, dispite the road being closed for safety reasons

A holiday beach in Dorset has been sealed off after thousands of tons of rock crashed down on to the sands.
The fall came less than a month after a woman was crushed to death when a section of cliff collapsed on top of her further along the coast.
Experts fear the new storms will loosen the sub-soil still further and make the cliffs unstable.

Despite the warning signs, a young man walks out on Porthleven Harbour wall Porthleven, Cornwall as storm force winds hit the South West

Natural England said spring tides and the storms expected today and over the next two days could cause further problems and warning signs might be washed away.
Tom Sunderland, from the Axmouth to Lyme Regis Undercliffs National Nature Reserve, said 'With high spring tides due we have decided to close Monmouth beach in the interests of public safety.
'The closure is in place because we cannot guarantee that the warning signs will stay in place with the high spring tides.'
Visitors have also been urged to stay away from the base of other cliffs and slopes along the Jurassic Coast, which is one of the most unstable coastlines in the world.

 

A severe weather warning issued by the Met Office last night covers Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Wales and the Manchester area.
An inch of rain – about a week’s worth for this time of year - fell in the first few hours of today, drenching summer holiday destinations.
Gale force winds of up to 60 miles per hour battered the coasts, with drivers being warned to take care.
The regions saw downpours from the morning rush-hour to late afternoon.

Despite being the middle of August, people in the Spinningfields area of Manchester were caught out in the middle of a huge rain storm this afternoon.

An inch of rain – about a week’s worth for this time of year – fell in the first few hours, drenching holidaymakers across Britain.
Despite the wind and rain, temperatures will continue to reach the early to mid-20s in most places for the rest of the week.

The good news is after the wet spell ends on Friday, the country is set for a glorious weekend which could reach 32C (90F) in the south east - potentially the hottest day of the year.

Shining bright: Rachael Baker, 18, walks through a sea of yellow sunflowers near Winchester, Hampshire, on the last day of glorious sunshine before torrential rain and gale force winds hit the country today

Elsewhere, temperatures are set to reach up to 27C in a dry and balmy summer weekend, forecasters at Meteogroup said.
Met Office forecaster Charlie Powell said: ‘'Although the weather will be dry again on Thursday, Friday will see another low pressure system bringing wind and rain again to western parts.’

The Met Office say by tomorrow the weather warning will have lifted but it will be back in place on Friday when more torrential rain is expected. Saturday should see a slight improvement, with weather warnings lifted.

Following a relatively dry and sunny two weeks during the Olympics, the weather was forecast to worsen this week.

Mr Powell added: ‘It looks like an improving picture for the weekend and into next week, certainly for the southern half of the county, with high temperatures and sunshine as warm air seeps in from the Continent.’