Gale-force winds and heavy rain brought flooding to parts of England and Wales, closing a train line, submerging homes and cutting off power for thousands of properties.

At Dawlish, Devon, a high tide and strong winds caused the sea to flood tracks, while Western Power Distribution said it had 2,500 customers “off supply” on Friday evening.

In Pembrokeshire, some homes were reportedly under up to 10ft of water and properties were evacuated as more than an inch of rain fell.

More than 10 flood warnings and around 60 flood alerts have been issued across the south west of England and Wales.

The inclement weather was expected to continue on Saturday, which will be wet and windy across large parts of the country.

Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkhill said: “It’s going to be a breezy day for most places with showers around for the South and West.

“We could get spells of more regular showers pushing westwards during the day, reaching central parts in the afternoon.

“Those showers could be heavy with a bit of thunder mixed in and possibly some hail.

“The north-east of England and Scotland could stay dry.”

During the day, temperatures are expected to remain a few degrees above average for the time of year, although the wet and windy weather will likely make it feel cooler.

Meanwhile lows of minus 1C (30F) or minus 2C (28F) could be seen in parts of Northern Ireland and sheltered glens in Scotland.

Wind speeds hit 68mph at Culdrose in Cornwall on Friday afternoon, while they were still gusting at up to 66mph in the evening.

Images from Dawlish station showed water pouring over the seaside platform and on to tracks ahead of high tide shortly before midnight.

In Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, streets and homes were flooded as the region saw a second day of heavy rain.

BBC Wales reported five properties had been left under 10ft of water after a lake overflowed.

A localised yellow weather warning for rain has been issued for area for most of Saturday.