Warning as Storm Freya set to batter UK with 80mph winds

Credit: PA

Storm Freya is set to bring strong winds of up to 80mph, dangerous conditions and travel disruption to England and Wales on Sunday.

Forecasters predict the storm will hit on Sunday afternoon and be severe enough to risk injuries and danger to life from flying debris and large waves.

There could also be damage to buildings and trees, with road hazards and power cuts possible.

The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning, which runs from 3pm on Sunday to 6am on Monday.

It is warning people to be aware of possible hazards including tiles being blown from roofs, fallen branches, and beach material being thrown on to sea fronts and coastal roads.

Strong winds were seen across Scotland on Saturday night as a separate weather system moved over.

A gust of around 70mph was recorded at South Uist, while winds of 45 to 50mph blew through Glasgow and Edinburgh.

"Eyes really now start to turn towards the South West and this afternoon when we will start to see the winds rip up," Met Office forecaster Craig Snell said.

Waves on Tynemouth Beach on the North East coast. Credit: PA

Mr Snell added: "In our warning area we are catering for gusts reaching between 50 and 60 miles per hour, even inland. Parts of Wales and the Irish Sea coast of north-west England is where we could see 70 to 80 miles an hour.

"The strongest winds will be limited to parts of western England and Wales, but the warning area includes parts of the Midlands and over towards Yorkshire and Lincolnshire as well.

"But they probably wont see the strongest winds until the very back-end of Sunday going into Monday morning."

Freya will have moved into the North Sea by rush hour on Monday morning, although there will likely be some residual impacts in its wake.

"We can expect some branches and a few trees being blown down and there’s also scope for some tiles being blown from roofs and also some power cuts as well," Mr Snell said.

It will still be quite breezy along the North Sea coast of England, but the winds will have died down significantly.

Temperatures are expected to reach between 8C (46F) and 12C (54F) in England and Wales on Sunday, while they will remain below 10C (50F) in Scotland.