Storm Gertrude: 90mph winds bring travel chaos and power cuts

Police at the scene of an overturned lorry on the M9 near Falkirk (Andrew Milligan/PA Wire)

Strong winds, heavy rain, snow and ice were forecast in some areas on Friday as the extreme weather continues to batter the British Isles.

Gusts of 91mph were recorded in South Uist, while on the mainland the Forth Road Bridge and Inverbervie in Aberdeenshire were hit by winds of 69mph.

Scottish Hydro is working to reconnect hundreds of homes in the west and north east of Scotland that have lost power in the high winds.

A landslip on the A82 at Letter Finlay between Spean Bridge and Invergarry caused a 150- mile (241km) diversion for journeys between Fort William and Inverness.

Fallen trees are affecting many routes and the Forth, Tay and Kessock bridges have been closed.

Here's the latest wind graph showing gusts peaking at 91mph: pic.twitter.com/Hrtt7YmmQS

— Forth Road Bridge (@forthroadbridge) January 29, 2016

Met Office amber “be prepared” warnings are in place for Northern Ireland, Scotland and north west and north east England.

Yellow “be aware” warnings for rain, snow and ice are in place across much of the UK.

Forecasters said: “Winds are expected to widely gust 60-70mph, possibly up to 80mph along exposed coasts and over hills.

“Be prepared for the likelihood of difficult driving conditions and disruption to travel, such as cancellation to ferry services and bridge closures.”

A succession of storms since December has seen widespread flooding and major disruption to travel, with the latest front expected to continue through the weekend.

All schools in the Northern and Western Isles have been closed and train and ferry services vastly reduced in Scotland.

Two ships on the North sea, near Whitley Bay, as the storm approaches (Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)

A woman walks along the sea front in Largs (Danny Lawson/PA Wire)

ScotRail is operating a limited service, with routes in the Highlands and west coast particularly affected.

Operators said hundreds of engineers will be deployed across the network to inspect lines, repair damage and reopen routes as quickly as possible.

Phil Verster, ScotRail Alliance managing director, said: “We will be withdrawing some services until the worst of the storm has passed.

“The safety of our passengers and workforce is our top priority and we cannot run services on these lines until our engineers have thoroughly inspected the network for any damage.”

Around 8,500 properties in Scotland lost electricity due to Storm Gertrude.

Scottish Hydro said engineers were working to reconnect supplies in Aberdeenshire, Perthshire, the Western Isles, Skye and Oban but repairs would depend on the weather.

Emergency services were called out to two lorries blown over on the A96 near Huntly and on the M9 near Dunblane in the early hours. The extent of any injuries is not known.

Drivers also had to avoid a trampoline blown on to the Newtonhill flyover near the A90 in Aberdeen at around 6am.

Police Scotland said a member of the public moved it from the road and officers were not needed. A force spokesman advised people to peg down trampolines and garden furniture in high winds.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has almost 40 flood warnings in place covering Ayrshire, Tayside, west central Scotland and the Highlands.

In Glasgow city centre, officials said roads were closed due to dangerous buildings caused by high winds.

Broomielaw was shut in both directions between York Street and Brown Street, with road users urged to avoid the area if possible.

Pitt Street was also completely closed between West Regent Street and West George Street.

Roofs blown off at the flat this morning! #finnieston #StormGertrude #poorweecars pic.twitter.com/W5b4wjaDs8

— Robyn Alexa Baillie (@RobynAlexaaa) January 29, 2016