Weather warnings for rain have been issued across the UK after the hottest day of the year so far.

Temperatures reached as high as 26.5C (79.7F) on Sunday but the Met Office has said the recent warm and sunny spell could end by Monday morning.

Temperatures surpassed Saturday’s record for this year to date of 25.9C, with Heathrow in London reporting the highest temperature on Sunday afternoon.

Brighton beach was packed with thousands of people on Sunday as crowds soaked up the sun while they could. Some of the city centre car parks were at capacity, with queue times of 10 to 15 minutes.

The Met Office has issued fresh warnings for heavy showers across Scotland, Wales and northern England. Three yellow warnings for thunderstorms remain in place.

Thundery showers will ease across all but parts of eastern Scotland overnight, with late evening sunshine expected in the south and east of England.

Spells of heavy rain are also expected to hit eastern areas of Northern Ireland on Monday, with a warning in place from noon until 6am on Tuesday.

Flood alerts are in force for England and Scotland. In areas of south-west England including Cornwall and Exeter, heavy rain is likely to bring some transport disruption and possible flooding between 8am and midnight on Monday.

The same warning is in place for southern Wales on Monday, where heavy rain is forecast for areas including Swansea and Cardiff.

The Met Office advised those living in areas affected by rain warnings to prepare for disruption to public transport and the possibility of some interruption to power supplies.

Thunderstorms could strike the west of the UK on Sunday, including most of Wales. Another storm warning has been issued for the western half of Northern Ireland and another for western parts of Scotland into Monday.