Thunderstorm warnings come into force for vast swathes of Britain as festival revellers refuse to let the mud ruin their fun

Yellow thunderstorm warnings covering most of the UK came into force at 11am, with the Met Office warning of up to 40mm of rain within hours and gusts of up to 45mph in places. Despite the disruption to travel and flooding risk, the wet weather failed to dampen spirits over the bank holiday weekend, with revellers at Notting Hill Carnival, Reading Festival and Leeds Festival pressing on regardless, sheltering under ponchos, umbrellas and even cardboard.

The alerts affected Northern Ireland, Wales, southern Scotland and most of England, with forecasters warning of heavy downpours, lightning, thunder and hail, particularly across the west, southern Scotland and northern England, while the south and east stayed largely dry. Temperatures reached highs of 23C in Norwich and 22C in London and Hull on Sunday, and Monday's bank holiday was expected to bring a "fine and largely dry" afternoon. Notting Hill Carnival marked its 60th anniversary with a rain-soaked family day, festivalgoers at Reading and Leeds waded through mud, England's Test match against Pakistan at Lord's was halted by rain, and seven areas were under Environment Agency flood alerts.