Thunderstorm warnings have been issued for large parts of England and Wales over the next two days – bringing the threat of frequent lightning and large hail.

The first Met Office warning, which is in effect from 12pm until 8pm on Friday, stretches from the West Midlands to the South East and includes the South West. It also covers a large part of Wales, including Cardiff and Swansea.

The weather agency says lightning strikes during the storms will probably cause damage to buildings.

And with the possibility of up to 40mm (1.5in) of rain in three hours, it said driving may be affected by spray, standing water and/or hail. Power cuts are also likely, it added, with delays to trains possible.

“A few thundery showers may be present across southern and southeast England early on Friday, but from the middle of the day they are expected to develop more widely within the warning area,” the Met Office said.

“Whilst some places will remain dry, where thundery showers do occur, they will bring frequent lightning, gusty winds, potentially some large hail, as well as brief spells of heavy rain.”

It added that there was “a very small chance of 30-40mm falling in three hours” across South West England.

Saturday’s warning is in place for 23 hours, from 1am until midnight, and applies to an even larger area – covering the whole of Wales, and stretching as far as Liverpool, Stoke-on-Trent, Leicester and all of Cornwall.

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The Met Office says thunderstorms and heavy showers are expected to cause disruption.

“Hail and frequent lightning may accompany the most intense storms, especially during Saturday afternoon and evening in parts of the Midlands, southern England and east Wales,” the Met Office said.

Officials say there is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded rapidly, with fast flowing or deep floodwater causing “danger to life”.

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They also warned there was a small chance some communities become cut off by flooded roads, with possible power cuts and cancellations to train and bus services.

A man who murdered his love rival in a ferocious knife attack at a petrol station forecourt has been jailed for life.

Haseeb Majid inflicted up to 16 wounds on Mohammed Duraab Khan in just 13 seconds in a “brutal” attack with a zombie-style knife at a Texaco garage in Nottingham in January.

Majid, 22, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 26 years on Thursday following a three-week trial at Nottingham Crown Court.

The jury rejected Majid’s case that he acted in self defence because he “feared violence” from Mr Khan, who had “threatened” Majid in phone calls and by vandalising his car in the weeks leading up to the attack.

Jurors heard there was “bad blood” between the pair after Mr Khan, 26, had become reacquainted with Majid’s ex-girlfriend.

On the evening of the murder, Majid followed Mr Khan, who was a passenger in a black Audi, to the petrol station forecourt on Meadow Lane in the south of the city, and walked up to the car wearing a balaclava.

Majid, who lived nearby in Wilford Crescent in The Meadows, told the court he only planned to use the knife to “scare” Mr Khan but, after the victim hit him on the wrist with a steering lock, he “lost control” and began stabbing him.

Majid inflicted up to 16 wounds in 13 seconds to Mr Khan’s left arm, left leg, torso, and back, including wounds that penetrated his internal organs.

Mr Khan died from his injuries a short time after paramedics arrived at the scene.

Police did not recover the weapon or balaclava when Majid was arrested.

Prosecution barrister Michael Burrows KC told the court that Majid had acted with “brutal, lethal force” and clearly didn’t want to just scare Mr Khan as he covered his face and kept the knife hidden until the last moment.

Mark Heywood KC, defending Majid, said that there was a “mounting, escalating series of physical threats to Mr Majid” and thought there was a threat to his family.

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The court heard a statement from Mr Khan’s father, Sarfraz Khan, in which he called his son “a remarkable person” and a “kind soul”, adding the family is “shattered” without him.

Mr Khan’s twin sister, Arshah Khan, said in a statement: “I’m just left as one half of a twin. I cannot fathom that he will not be a part of my future.”

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage would not have been told to avoid holding in-person surgeries in his constituency, Sky News understands.

A source said the Speaker’s Office have no record of telling Mr Farage he should not hold physical surgeries in his Clacton constituency, as he claimed in a phone-in earlier on Thursday.

The MP had said he is not holding in-person surgeries in his constituency over fears the public will “flow through the door with knives in their pockets”.

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The Reform UK leader said he had been advised not to accommodate the “old-style” physical meetings between MPs and their constituents in his seat of Clacton.

Asked whether he was hosting in-person surgeries, Mr Farage told LBC “not yet”, but that he would “when parliament allows me”.

On whether he had been advised for his own security not to hold surgeries, he replied: “I would have thought that would make sense, wouldn’t you?”

He said the guidance had been given by “the Speaker’s (Sir Lindsay Hoyle’s) office, and beneath the Speaker’s Office there is a security team who give advice and say you should do some things and not do others”.

However, Sky News understands that the Speaker’s Office has no record of this conversation.

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A House of Commons spokesperson said: “The ability for MPs to perform their parliamentary duties safely, both on and off the estate, is fundamental to our democracy.

“The Parliamentary Security Department (PSD), working closely with the police, offer all MPs a range of security measures for those with offices or surgeries in their constituencies – helping to ensure a safe working environment.

“We do not comment on individual MPs’ security arrangements or advice because we would not wish to compromise the safety of MPs, parliamentary staff or members of the public, but these are kept under continuous review.”

The Reform UK leader was asked whether he had an office in his constituency – and how many surgeries he had held there since being elected more than two months ago.

“Do I have an office in Clacton? Yes. Am I allowing the public to flow through the door with their knives in their pockets? No, no I’m not,” he replied.

Asked why people of Clacton would want to flow through the door with knives in their pockets, he said: “Well they did in Southend. They murdered David Amess, and he was a far less controversial figure than me.”

Conservative politician Sir David was fatally stabbed during a surgery in his Southend constituency in 2021 by an Islamic State-supporting terrorist.

A spokesperson for Reform UK told Sky News: “Nigel has been advised against holding in-person surgeries by the Parliamentary Security Department and the Home Office until physical measures have been put in place that ensure the safety of him, his staff and the general public.”