While southern Europe has been hit with a blistering heatwave, yellow weather warnings have been issued by the Met Office for large parts of the UK until midnight on Saturday.

Strong gusts of up to 55mph have been forecast in the south of England and south Wales, while a warning of thunderstorms is also in place in Scotland and Northern Ireland until 11pm.

With alerts in place, the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed, in West Sussex, has shut due to a "serious risk" from "forecasted high winds".

It is the first time the four-day event has not been held on a Saturday in its 30-year year history.

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A spokesperson for the festival, which regularly attracts up to 100,000 people a day, said: "On-site safety is our highest priority and the forecasted high winds will pose a serious risk to various temporary structures across the site.

"We politely ask that you do not travel to Goodwood or attempt to access the site."

The event will resume as planned on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Wimbledon organisers announced on Twitter that they have closed the ticket queue due to the yellow weather warning.

The event is still set to go ahead, though, with unseeded Czech player Marketa Vondrousova facing Tunisian star Ons Jabeur in the Women's singles final on Centre Court.

Guests heading to Wimbledon have been advised to dress "appropriately" and "come prepared for the inclement weather".

Rain has also halted play at the Vitality Blast T20 semi-final between Hampshire and Essex at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

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In Dorset, the annual Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival, a popular union event, has been cut short due to "extreme adverse weather conditions".

"In the interests of clarity, even though the weather is set to improve tomorrow, the rest of the festival will not be going ahead due to the logistical demands of safely resetting the site," a spokesperson said.

On the roads, the M4 has been hit with flooding near Llandarcy, in south Wales.

Tom Morgan, meteorologist at the Met Office, said: "For the middle part of July we're seeing quite unseasonably unsettled weather.

"We've got quite strong winds today across southern areas where we will potentially see gusts as high as 55mph bringing some minor disruption and damage to trees, for example, particularly in south Wales and southern parts of England.

"We've also got some thunderstorms which are moving through quite quickly in the south because of the wind, but the thunderstorms in Scotland and Northern Ireland will be much slower.

"There are many outdoor events expected to take place this weekend, we do urge you, wherever you are, to keep an eye on the forecast and leave plenty of time for your journeys because the weather may well cause some disruption from either strong winds or thunder and heavy rain."

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Warning those covered by the thunderstorm warning, Mr Morgan added: "There is potential for some flooding locally for the next day or two but the emphasis is more likely to be across Scotland and Northern Ireland where the downpours are more likely to be prolonged.

"Anywhere is at risk of seeing short periods of intense rainfall and some hail mixed in with the thunderstorm."

Sunday is expected to be less windy but showers will continue for parts of northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with a risk of thunder, while further south will see a mix of sunny spells and showers.