Heavy rainfall and 60mph gusts during washout weekend

While surfers braved rough seas to ride the waves off the Dorset coast, festival goers at nearby Camp Bestival were hit by some of the worst of the wind and rain.

Organisers said they were "utterly devastated and heartbroken" to pull the plug on the last day of the event on Sunday on the advice of safety teams over the severe weather conditions.

Revellers at the family festival, held at Lulworth Castle, were battered by gusts of up to 45mph, while around 20mm of rain fell over 12 hours.

"When you have got quite heavy rain that follows a dry spell the water struggles to soak into the ground," said Met Office meteorologist Rachael West.

"It has been very wet and windy - not ideal conditions for camping by any means."

Wales saw the wettest of Sunday's weather with 48.4mm of rain falling in Capel Curig in the north of the country.

The strongest winds were on the Isle of White, which was hit by gusts of around 60mph, while inland areas across the UK saw speeds of about 40mph.

A warning for wind and rain, in place for Wales and the south of England, was lifted on Sunday as the heavy rain and stronger winds pushed further north.

"We did just have some pretty exceptional temperatures in the days just gone so today has got a fairly cool feel with the wind and rain," said Ms West.

"Temperatures are going to gradually creep up over the next few days into the working week, particularly across England and Wales.

"By the time we get through to the end of the week we could see temperatures in the high 20s or even up to 30C, most likely across the southern parts of England."

The return of the warm weather will prompt further safety warnings to those thinking of cooling off in the water after a number of unconnected incidents in recent days.

A six-year-old girl died after going into the water at Margate Harbour, in Kent, despite rescue efforts.

The body of 15-year-old Ben Quartermaine was recovered near Clacton Pier, in Essex, after a search was launched on Thursday.

In Bedfordshire the body of a man aged in his late 20s was recovered from the Great Ouse river after reports someone had got into difficulty there on Friday afternoon.

A man's body was recovered from the Jubilee River in Slough on Thursday, Thames Valley Police said, and on Friday a body was found by police in Warwickshire searching for a 17-year-old boy who disappeared after getting into difficulty in a quarry lake.