Weather warnings have been issued across the UK as heavy wind and rain is expected over the weekend.

Areas with Irish Sea coasts could see gusts of up to 70mph, with parts of the Midlands, northern England and Northern Ireland experiencing windspeeds of between 45 and 55mph, the Met Office said.

Wind speeds will increase in the west during Saturday morning then across other areas through the afternoon, before easing slowly from the west through the evening.

Homes and businesses may experience flooding as up to 80mm of rain falls in some parts of the UK, the forecaster said.

Yellow weather warnings for rain have been issued for areas of Dorset and Devon, southern Scotland and Northern Ireland, with ground already heavily saturated.

Rain of 30-50mm is expected to fall widely in southern Scotland, with possibly 60-80mm over higher ground, beginning on Friday night, the Met Office said.

Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said: “We’re in for a wet and windy weekend.

“From 6pm tonight a band of heavy wind and rain will move through Scotland. There’s a possibility of flooding because of the already saturated ground.

“Another band will move tomorrow morning from the south-west of the UK towards the north-east, bringing with it heavy rain for much of the country.

“By the afternoon most of the heavy wind and rain will have passed and it will just be showers for southern areas.

“We will also be seeing some quite strong winds in Wales, the Midlands, northern England and Northern Ireland, particularly coastal communities around the Irish Sea.

The bad weather could cause delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport, and coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities may be affected by spray and large waves, the forecaster said.

The unsettled weather will continue into Sunday and next week, with a chance of further weather warnings.

Mr Dixon continued: “There is another area of low pressure coming on Sunday with the possibility of further warnings being issued.”