Scotland Weather: Gusts of up to 70mph cause traffic chaos

Two lorries have overturned on a road that was closed to high-sided vehicles due to high winds.

The A1 was shut to all vehicles from 5am on Tuesday between Haddington and Thistly Cross, while the whole route was shut to high-sided vehicles between Edinburgh and the English border.

The Met Office issued yellow warnings of wind for parts of Scotland between 5am and 9pm on January 7.

It said gusts of 50-60mph are likely and warned of gusts of 70-75mph around some of the most exposed coastal and upland sites.

The winds have caused travel chaos across Scotland. Picture: John Devlin

A gust of 67mph was recorded on South Uist at 9am on Tuesday morning, while a 64mph gust hit Aboyne in Aberdeenshire at 1pm, the Met Office said.

Traffic Scotland said two lorries had overturned on the A1, one between Thistly Cross and the Spot Roundabout and another at Thorntonloch.

The organisation tweeted: "Please do not ignore police safety advice on this route. There are gusts of 68mph."

Several bridges have been closed to high-sided vehicles due to strong winds, including the Skye Bridge, Erskine Bridge and Cromarty Bridge.

All ferries to Arran have been cancelled. Picture: John Devlin

The weather warning covers the Highlands and islands, Moray, Fife, Falkirk, south-west Scotland, Lothian and Borders and parts of Strathclyde.

The Met Office warned some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are likely, while some short-term loss of power and other services is possible.

Ferry passengers faced disruption on several Caledonian MacBrayne routes due to adverse weather, with some sailings cancelled.

Police said: "If driving a vehicle which may be vulnerable to being blown over in high winds, please exercise additional caution and plan your route to avoid exposed areas or consider delaying your journey until conditions improve."