Scots warned to hunker down as Storm Ciara blows in

Road bridges were closed and ferries cancelled yesterday – before Storm Ciara had even arrived.

Scotland will feel the full force of the storm today – with 80mph hurricane- force winds and heavy rain.

And that will be followed over the next two days by heavy snow falls.

The Skye, Dornoch and Tay Road Bridges were closed to high-sided vehicles and at one point, the Forth Road Bridge was closed completely. Repair work on the Erskine Bridge was suspended because of the weather.

CalMac says it may be Wednesday before all services resume.

A ScotRail spokesperson said: “We’re preparing Scotland’s railway for Storm Ciara, with extreme wind, rain and snow forecast until Tuesday.Given the forecast, we expect to see some disruption across the network, so we are asking customers to plan ahead.”

Network Rail suggested people living near railway lines clear away garden furniture, especially trampolines which can be blown on to power lines.

Tom Morgan of the Met Office said: “Sunday will be very windy right across the whole of Scotland.

“Disruption to transport is inevitable, with trees down and potential interruptions to the power supply.

“There will also be a great deal of rain at times and we are keeping an eye on things in the south west for possible flooding.”