The Met Office has issued two yellow weather warnings for rain as Britons brace for heavy downpours.

The warnings cover parts of Norther Ireland and Scotland and will both come into affect on Saturday morning.

The first of the warnings will be in place from 7am until 7pm and will cover County Antrim, County Armagh and County Down in Northern Ireland.

The Met Office said up to 50mm of rainfall could be possible in some areas.

The forecaster warned that flooding of homes and businesses is possible.

It said heavy rain could also impact bus and train services, while flooding and spray on the roads may add to journey times for motorists.

A weather warning is also in place covering parts of Scotland from 8am on Saturday until just before midnight.

It covers areas including the Highlands, Argyll and Bute, East Ayrshire, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway.

The weather warnings will be in place from Saturday morning

The Met Office said: "Outbreaks of rain will arrive across western and southwestern parts of Scotland on Saturday morning, likely becoming persistent and heavy at times, before slowly clearing northeastwards later on Saturday evening.

"30 to 50 mm rain is likely quite widely, with up to 70 mm possible across western parts.

"This may lead to some flooding and disruption."

The forecaster advised people living in the affected regions to check if their property is at risk of flooding and gather torches, batteries and other essential items in order to prepare for possible power cuts.

The wet weather comes as meteorologists are carefully watching the path of Category-4 Hurricane Gabrielle.

The superstorm, which initially skimmed the Bermudan coast, is believed to be on track for Europe.

The Met Office has however said the wet weather set to sweep the UK during the weekend will not have been caused by Hurricane Gabrielle.

Clouds and outbreaks of rain will affect most of the UK on Saturday and continue on Sunday, marking “a change of tide” from some of the past week’s “lovely, fine and dry” weather, Met Office operational meteorologist Kathryn Chalk said.

One WX Charts map prediction shows Gabrielle skimming the south of the UK and hitting southern Europe | WX CHARTS

However, the rain and wind will not be caused by Hurricane Gabrielle.

Tom Crabtree, deputy chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said earlier this week: “Wet, and at times, windy weather can be expected for many over the weekend, but this will not be a direct influence of what will be by then, ex-Hurricane Gabrielle.

“While some uncertainty remains over its exact track, we are confident that the remnants of Gabrielle will stay well to the south of the UK.

“Gabrielle’s track and timing will still have a remote influence on UK weather however, as its evolution will influence how quickly a band of rain moves into the west this weekend and how long it lingers on Sunday. We’ll provide more detail on this in the days ahead.”