I have been vectored around weather in Ireland and in the USA, with an amazing precision. Dunno about the UK, but with todays toys for controllers, most places you can get an overlay of the weather on the radar screen. It makes of course the airplanes more difficult to see...
In Africa, I had the opposite, where only primary radar would get us lost in bad wx, and ATC comes up and says...:"ah, no more vectors, can't see you, so self position for the approach..."
Most of times, I just ask ATC, but when the time comes and you can't step in to talk, I just avoid and notify later. Rather have a well flown TCAS RA, than an aircraft pitted with hail stones...
Flex