UPDATE: UK being battered by Storm Gerrit

Latest on Storm Gerrit:

Flooding between Lockerbie and Carlisle means all rail lines are blocked between those stations.

Avanti West Coast advised passengers not to attempt to travel north of Preston on Wednesday.

Those with pre-booked tickets for travel between Preston and either Edinburgh or Glasgow can board trains on Thursday or Friday.

Eighteen British Airways flights have been cancelled on Wednesday due to Storm Gerrit.

Air traffic control restrictions mean the BA flights due to operate to or from London'sHeathrow Airport were axed.

They were return domestic trips to Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Jersey and Manchester, and to Barcelona, Berlin, Madrid and Paris Charles de Gaulle in mainland Europe.

A British Airways spokesman said:

"As a result of air traffic control restrictions put in place because of Storm Gerrit, we have had to make some adjustments to our schedule today.

"We have apologised to our customers for any disruption to their travel plans and our teams are working hard to get them on their way as quickly as possible."

Earlier today:

Weather warnings are in place for wind and rain as Storm Gerrit sweeps across the country.

Travellers have been warned of delays and potentially hazardous conditions on their way home from the Christmas holidays, with the storm forecast to bring wintry weather for some.

Wind warnings are in place for the south of England and across the English Channel coast as well as parts of western Wales, north-west England, Northern Ireland, northern Scotland and the northern isles.

Some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are likely.

Network Rail Scotland has imposed speed restrictions on Wednesday and travellers are urged to check for cancellations.

ScotRail customer operations director Phil Campbell said:

"We will be working closely with our colleagues at Network Rail Scotland to ensure we are able to keep people moving as much as possible, but customers should also expect that their journeys will take longer than usual, and there could be some cancellations."

A tree fell on the line and caught fire near Dumbarton East Station in West Dunbartonshire, Network Rail Scotland said, closing the line in both directions.

The M48 Severn Bridge in Gloucestershire is currently closed in both directions due to strong winds, National Highways said.

Drivers are advised to use the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge as an alternate route.

Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said Storm Gerrit was named as a warning to people travelling after the Christmas holidays.

He said:

"Due to the extent of the warnings that are being issued, it was deemed that a named storm would be a good idea because it will highlight to the public the risk associated, particularly as today is likely to be quite a busy day on the roads with people travelling back home from Christmas and things like that."

Mr Partridge said wet and windy weather will cover "pretty much the whole of the UK", with significant snowfall in parts of Scotland.

A yellow rain and snow warning is in place until 9pm across much of Scotland on Wednesday.

Mr Partridge added:

"There are wind warnings out for the south of England, across the English Channel coast.

"But we also have wind warnings in force for parts of western Wales, north-west England, Northern Ireland, northern Scotland and the northern isles."

He said only the central section of the UK does not have a wind warning.

Wind warning areas can expect gusts of 50-60mph, with up to 70mph on high ground and exposed coasts.

"In terms of rain, we have rain warnings out for the whole of Northern Ireland, western Wales, north-west England, and then there's a combined sort of rain and snow warning for Scotland," Mr Partridge said.

Rain in the warning areas is forecast to be between 40-60mm, with the potential for 70-90mm in the western hills of Wales and the western side of the Pennines.

There is a chance of power cuts, as well as a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded.

Anywhere above 200 metres in Scotland and the northern isles is likely to see some snow, he added.

Hear the latest news on Downtown on FM, DAB, smart speaker or the Rayo app.