Torrential rain and strong winds are expected across the UK this weekend, with forecasters issuing 25 flood alerts.

The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning from 6pm on Saturday to 5pm on Sunday and warned of persistent rain and a risk of flooding across the north-west and south-west of England and Wales.

The flood alerts, which warn people to be prepared for possible flooding, were issued mainly for north-west and south-west England, with eight in force for Wales.

The train operator Northern said no trains were running between Lancaster and Skipton because of a mudslide near Bentham.

“The mud has completely covered the track in both directions, meaning we cannot run trains between Lancaster and Skipton,” a spokesman said. “The mudslide was discovered at around 7.45am when a Lancaster to Leeds service encountered problems on the line.”

A mudslide in north Yorkshire also blocked train lines, and a race meeting at Haydock in Merseyside on Saturday was cancelled due to waterlogged conditions.

Flooding in Brampton, Cumbria, caused delays to trains between Carlisle and Newcastle, although National Rail said trains were beginning to return to normal shortly before 9am.

There was also disruption on the roads, with the entry sliproad of the M65 at junction 10 for Burnley, Lancashire, closed due to flooding.

The miserable weather follows an unsettled Friday, when a water spout was captured on camera near the Isle of Scalpay in the Outer Hebrides.

The Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said areas such as Devon and Cornwall could experience coastal gales of up to 50mph, while 30mm- 40mm of rain was expected to fall within short periods over the weekend.

Cities including Manchester, Liverpool, Bangor, Swansea and Cardiff are covered by the weather warning. It was updated on Saturday to exclude parts of the northern Pennines, which had previously been expected to experience showers, and include a larger part of south-west England.

Burkill said: “We have got a deep area of low pressure that will bring heavy and persistent rain, and strong winds too.

“In terms of rainfall totals, the greatest amounts could be up to 70mm. That will be over the hills and mountains. “Away from there, some places could see 30mm to 40mm in a short space of time.”

He said there was likely to be some travel disruption with “lots of spray on the roads”.

Large waves and high spring tides could also increase the risk of “coastal impact” in south-west England, he added.

There would be sunny spells and showers across England and Wales before the worst of the weather arrived on Saturday evening.

The weather warning prompted the cancellation of the inaugural Regatta London race, which was due to take place on the River Thames on Sunday. Organisers said they were unable to safely run the event due to stormy weather affecting the water quality.