Storm Brendan: UK set to be battered by 80mph winds as Met Office issues weather warnings

High-speed winds and heavy rains set to cause travel disruption across British Isles

The Met Office has announced weather warnings covering almost the whole UK as Storm Brendan moves into batter the British Isles with 80mph winds and heavy rains.

The eye of storm, named by Irish forecasters, will begin to sweep over Britain on Monday morning - with Northern Ireland, the west of Britain and northeast Scotland set to be lashed by winds from midday to midnight.

The most intense gales are expected in the west and the north of the British Isles, where gusts are forecast to reach speeds of between 60mph and 80mph.

Winds are expected to push heavy rain eastwards, making travel conditions difficult before showers clear on Monday evening.

On Tuesday, the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for the whole of England and Wales, with strong winds of up to 70mph battering the countries through the afternoon and evening.

Met Office forecaster Frank Saunders said the UK and Ireland would turn increasingly windy throughout Monday as the storm sweeps in.

He said: "It's going to be windy across the western half of the UK, with gusts reaching 60 to 70mph along Irish Sea coastlines, the west of Scotland and perhaps some English Channel coasts - maybe even 80mph in a few exposed places."

Mr Saunders added the severe conditions could cause travel disruption, and those in affected areas are advised to take extra care when driving on exposed routes such as bridges or high open roads.

Looking ahead to the rest of the week, he said: "It looks like it's going to stay very unsettled with the potential for further disruptive weather in places."

On Saturday, strong winds and heavy rain battered parts of Scotland, forcing the main A1 road from the English border up to Edinburgh to be closed for high-sided vehicles for several hours.

In Blackpool, Lancashire, a huge search operation was launched for a man feared to have been swept into the sea amid strong winds.

A coastguard helicopter and crews, a lifeboat and police all carried out an intensive hunt during Saturday night and again at first light on Sunday, but failed to find anyone.