Scottish schools forced to close as storm Brendan brings hurricane winds

SCHOOLS in parts of Scotland have had to close this morning due to warnings of severe gale force winds.

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, the Western Isles Council, has closed all its schools for safety reasons as storm Brendan starts to batter the coastlines.

The council warns all bus services on the island have been cancelled and ferry travel is likely to be disrupted due to the conditions.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for most parts of the UK, including the west and east coast of Scotland.

Scottish schools forced to close as storm Brendan brings hurricane winds

The wild conditions are expected to last about 14 hours, from 10am until midnight.

The Met Office said people should expect:

- Some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport expected, particularly for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges

- Some bus and train services affected, with some journeys taking longer

- Coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities affected by spray and/or large waves

- Some short term loss of power and other services

A Met Office spokeswoman said: "The strongest winds are expected around exposed coasts and hills.

"Here gusts of 60-70 mph are likely, with a few sites perhaps seeing gusts to 80 mph - especially around Irish Sea coasts and around the west coast of Scotland where the strongest winds are most likely.

"Gusts will be lower inland with 45-55 mph likely. A narrow band of squally heavy rain moving east, accompanying the strongest winds, may be an additional hazard."

Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said: "As it pushes though, pretty much every part of the UK will feel the influence."

Everywhere in the UK will see rain on Monday at some point, he said, adding that the storm will move through pretty quickly.The Met Office warning added that disruption to travel is "likely".

Forecasters are warning that coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities may be affected by spray or large waves.There may also be some short term loss of power and other services.

For more updates about school closures on the Western Isles visit here.