Strong winds and downpours hit parts of the UK

Racegoers shelter from the rain as they arrive at Goodwood Festival in Westhampnett, West Sussex

Heavy rain and strong winds have hit parts of the UK, as August's spell of unseasonal weather showed no sign of easing.

The Met Office issued a severe yellow weather warning for wind covering parts of southern England on Wednesday.

Forecasters also warned of thunderstorms in central and south-east England and Wales.

The bad weather in the UK was due to an area of low pressure bringing wind and rain, meteorologists said.

Gusts were forecast to reach around 60mph in the most exposed parts of the southern England coast. Some locations were expected to face 40mm of rain within a few hours.

Some other exposed coastal locations, such as Berry Head in Devon, and Portland, Dorset, saw gusts of up to 50mph, the Met Office said.

Last summer, the UK saw record-breaking temperatures of more than 40C - but last month was one of the wettest Julys on record, according to provisional data.

The Met Office said the UK had its sixth rainiest July since data started being collected, and its wettest since 2009.

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The wet weather has been bad news for holidaymakers enjoying the school holidays.

Lisa Vickery, owner of MacDonald's Farm in Porthcothan, told BBC Radio Cornwall "quite a few" campers had left due to heavy rain, or cancelled at the last minute.

"I think everyone wakes up praying that today's going to be a dry day, but we've never seen weather like this in the four years we've been here," she said.

"Whether that will mean next year they might rethink coming down here for their summer holiday and go abroad, we could see next year this has an impact."

In West Sussex, people on Worthing's beachfront told the BBC that the weather was "dreadful".

Clair McKinney-Williams said the rain was so strong that it was coming into her cafe, forcing her to close early.

Elsewhere, Farmers told the BBC that they were worried about how the weather would impact their crops.

Robin Milton, a farmer in north Devon, said that oats which were a "nice, level, even crop" a fortnight ago are now spoiled and rotting from the rain.

"We're seeing a climate now that's showing extremes, rather than a more seasonal pattern that we became used to."

David Chugg of the National Farmers Union told the BBC that this season could be a "write-off" with crops deteriorating so quickly.

Meanwhile on the Isle of Wight, Cowes Week - the world's largest sailing regatta - cancelled all races on Wednesday due to the high winds forecast.

In Redcar, North Yorkshire, horse racing has been abandoned due to the weather. Hastings Pier has been closed due to winds.

BBC Weather meteorologist Darren Bett said it should become drier in England and Wales at night time, with the strong, gusty winds starting to change direction and the rain moving away,

The French Meteorological Department has given the storm a name - Patricia - because of the impact it is likely to have in the Brest peninsula and in Brittany, BBC Weather presenter Carol Kirkwood explained.

"We had a supermoon last night, high tides and strong winds whipping up waves for France. We're likely to see some issues with coastal flooding," she said.

As for Thursday, Met Office chief meteorologist Dan Suri said the low pressure should pull away eastwards from the UK during Wednesday evening and night, making for a calmer Thursday - although heavy showers could persist.

People hold umbrellas while in a punt in Cambridge

Traffic slowed in the heavy rain on the M62 near Brighouse in West Yorkshire

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