Sports fans look set to be lashed with heavy rain as forecasters predict thunderstorms will hit parts of the UK this weekend.

The Met Office has issued a yellow thunderstorm warning for much of central England on Saturday, while a similar warning of heavy rain is in place for large swathes of the south-west.

It could spoil the plans of football fans wanting to watch England’s Euro 2020 quarter-final match against Ukraine in outdoor venues on Saturday evening, or tennis spectators hoping to see Roger Federer in action at Wimbledon.

The weather alerts warn people could see flooding to homes and businesses, delays or cancellations to transport services and a danger that communities may become “cut-off”.

Tom Morgan, a Met Office forecaster, told the PA news agency: “Over the weekend much of the UK will see some unseasonably wet weather following a fine day on Friday.

“We have two yellow weather warnings in place, the first covering the south-west of England including parts of Cornwall, Devon and Bristol, which will see heavy and persistent downpours and even some flooding from Saturday afternoon.

“Another warning of thunderstorms will cover large swathes of central England, spanning from the south to north, starting from 6am on Saturday.

“These areas will see scattered, heavy showers, thunderstorms and even some hail.”

Mr Morgan said the conditions are due to an area of low pressure over the UK, brought about by a jetstream bringing changeable, wet weather.

He added: “There are quite a few sporting events over the weekend, including England’s Euro 2020 match against Ukraine in Rome at 8pm on Saturday.

“While the players will be playing in 28C temperatures, back in England spectators in pubs and fan zones will be hit with heavy downpours.

“It may also be a washout for tennis-goers at Wimbledon, who I’d advise have an umbrella to hand, despite there being some sunny spells.”

Those in Wales will be hit with wet and even thundery conditions on Saturday, while parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland will see mostly cloudy conditions along with some rainfall.

Mr Morgan also went on to warn of similar wet conditions for parts of the UK on Sunday, going in to Monday.