Winds of up to 70mph expected to hit the UK

Wintry weather is on its way as the UK faces days of strong Atlantic gales hitting 70mph, with delays expected on the roads, railways and in the air.

The Met Office issued a series of yellow weather warnings with forceful, gusty winds expected to hit south west England and South Wales on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

Gusts of 60mph to 70mph are expected to strike in these areas, while London and other inland regions will face gusts of 50mph to 60mph early on Thursday morning as the wind pushes further north.

Meteorologist Sophie Yeomans said: "It's going to be the south west which will be hit the worst, across parts of Devon, Cornwall, moving along the west coast.

"As you go into the early hours of tomorrow morning, the strongest winds will be in the east of England.

"It's only really the north of England which will avoid the worst of it."

Ms Yeomans added: "The strongest winds will be up to 60mph, and even 70mph. This will begin to move northwards from the early hours of tomorrow morning.

"Be aware, this may cause longer journey times, so expect some delays to road, rail and air travel.

"These gales will continue through the night until 9am, so commuters should be wary of minor delays as a result."

Short term loss of power and other services was also a possibility, she added.

Gusts of up to 60mph are also expected to hit Scotland between midday and 6pm on Friday, with further warnings expected to be issued later this week.

A yellow warning means the weather will cause some low level, impact including some disruption to travel especially in the south of England.