Scotland was battered by 80mph winds today, cancelling trains, disrupting ferry services, leaving roads blocked and homes without power.

Storms and severe weather swept across most of the country this morning - just days after Scotland was hit by hurricane-force winds.

West and south west Scotland were worst affected,

being hit by 80mph winds, as an area of low pressure moved northwards.

More than a dozen flood warnings were put in place, with up to 40mm of rain predicted to fall in some places.

Renfrew, Helensburgh, and Dumbarton are all at risk, according to forecasters.

Glasgow escaped the worst of the storm, but was still hit by gusts of up to 30mph.

In Dumfries and Galloway, more than 1000 homes were without power, and a number of roads were blocked by fallen trees.

The Met Office issued

yellow Be Aware warnings of rain for much of the country.

High wind warnings were in place on the Erksine and Skye Bridges. The Forth Road Bridge had a 40mph speed

restriction and was closed to double-decker buses.

The rail network was also affected, with services to and from Ardrossan and Largs suspended.

Replacement buses were being laid on to take passengers between Kilwinning and Ardrossan South Beach stations.

Ferry services to Bute,

Arran and Cumbrae were all disrupted. Operators said services were on "amber alert" and could be cancelled or delayed.

Northern Ireland, Wales and England were the worst affected areas today.

A gust of wind in Aber­daron, west Wales, of 109mph was recorded this morning and dozens of flood warnings were issued for areas that were severely affected earlier in the week by the bad weather.

About 13,000 homes were without electricity.

John Griffiths, a forecaster for MeteoGroup UK, said: "Because the eye of the storm is directly over Scotland it escapes some of the fiercest winds."

rebecca.gray@eveningtimes.co.uk