Hurricane Bertha Brings Bad Weather and Disruption Across Britain

Ex-hurricane Bertha has brought heavy rain, strong winds and disruption across Britain – bringing flash floods that closed roads and forced a music festival to be closed.

Weather forecasters had predicted that the Bertha weather system would hit Britain this weekend, having moved across the Atlantic Ocean after battering the Bahamas on Monday.

The storm now crossing the UK is a low-pressure system which has picked up moisture and energy left over from Bertha.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for rain for most of the UK, plus two amber warnings in Scotland, and is urging people to be aware of flooding, strong winds and large waves.

The Environment Agency has nine flood warnings in place – meaning floods are expected – for parts of north-east and north-west England, north Wales and Somerset. Another 38 flood alerts are in place.

The weather has caused disruption across the country. The Prudential Ride London cycle race was cut by 14 miles after bad weather hit parts of Surrey, and yachting race organisers postponed the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race because of the weather.

Organisers of the Boardmasters music festival in Cornwall were forced to cancel the event after high winds hit the venue in Watergate, near Newquay, Cornwall.

The three-day festival, due to be headlined by Bastille on Sunday night, attracts about 30,000 people for surfing and music.

A statement from the organisers said: "We deeply regret the disappointment caused to festival goers on the final day of Boardmasters 2014."

Campers at the Watergate site told the BBC that about 20 tents had blown away and the campsite had been waterlogged after heavy rain overnight.

Henry Barfoot, 20, from Southampton told BBC News: "It started raining about nine o'clock last night and didn't really stop. Then the winds picked up as we were coming back from the main stage. Loads of stuff has been blown everywhere. Our tent got really wet."