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Parts of the UK are facing heavy rain and high winds, as Storm Alex brings in a stretch of bad weather.
Widespread power cuts have hit areas west of London and along the south coast, where gale-force winds reached 61mph (98km/h) on Friday morning.
Rain warnings are in place across much of Wales and England and parts of Scotland for this weekend.
The Met Office’s chief meteorologist said the forecast was a “miserable end to the working week”.
Storm Alex, which has been affecting France, has pushed strong winds and lashing rain into southern England, causing disruption to power lines in the South West and on the Isle of Wight.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks recorded power cuts in more than 20 areas, including Portsmouth, Southampton and towns east of Reading.
Western Power Distribution has also recorded incidents in the South West, affecting Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset.
Forecasters have warned that southern coastal areas of England could see gusts of up to 65mph, while other parts of the UK could be at risk of flooding before the end of Sunday.
A yellow weather warning for wind and rain is in place across much of southern England on Friday, with the risk of flooding and travel delays stretching from Cornwall to the Kent coast.
Chief meteorologist at the Met Office Steve Ramsdale said: “As the strong winds and rain associated with Storm Alex clear away from Britain later on Friday, another low-pressure system moves towards the UK from the east bringing further very heavy rain and strong winds to many over the weekend.”
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Waves crash along the coast at Swanage in Dorset
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Gareth Fuller
A car drives through a large puddle on the A20 in Folkestone, Kent
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A man walks through the rain at Westminster
There is also the possibility of flooding this weekend across parts of the UK.
An amber weather warning for rain covers much of Wales and south-west England from 12:00 BST on Saturday to 06:00 on Sunday.
Yellow weather warnings are in place for most of central and southern England, and eastern coasts into Scotland from Saturday into Sunday.
A yellow weather warning means heavy rain is expected and could lead to disruption from flooding, while an amber warning means heavy rain is expected to bring some flooding and transport disruption.
Over the weekend, parts of Wales, south-west England and eastern Scotland could see more than 100mm of rain.
This could lead to the risk of flooding and landslides as well as very difficult driving conditions, the Met Office said – concerns that were echoed by the Environment Agency.
The Environment Agency said: “We urge people to stay away from swollen rivers and not to drive though flood water – it is often deeper than it looks and just 30cm of flowing water is enough to float your car.”
