Storm Boelo hits UK with gusts up to 85mph gusts as amber warnings hold

Storm Boelo unleashed powerful winds and driving rain overnight with 85mph gusts in parts of the UK.

Machrihanish on the west coast of Scotland and The Needles off the Isle of Wight recorded the fastest gusts. Amber weather warnings are in place on Sunday in Scotland, northern England until 21:00 GMT and Northern Ireland until 10:00.

Boelo is the second named storm this week and the past few days have seen tens of thousands of homes need power restored after cuts caused by the conditions.

As of 06:30 on Sunday morning the National Grid said 10,860 properties still had their electricity cut off.

National Gridsaid on Saturday that more than 124,000 properties had been restored with power supplies since the beginning of the storm.

Strong winds were predicted to cause power cuts, flying debris, damage to buildings and trees, travel disruption and danger to life from large waves, the Met Office said.

The strongest gusts affected western Scotland first, and are expected to spread eastwards through Sunday.

Train and ferry services have been cancelled in Scotland and police have warned against unnecessary road journeys. Dozens of flood warnings and alerts were in place across the country and flooding also closed a number of roads, including the A78 Inverkip Road in Greenock; the A77 at Lendalfoot in Ayrshire; and several in Dumfries and Galloway.

The Met Office has warned that being outside in high winds could make people "more vulnerable to injury", stating: "Stay indoors as much as possible. If you do go out, try not to walk, or shelter, close to buildings and trees."

Parts of Northern Ireland have also been issued with an amber warning until 10:00 on Sunday.

Much of Scotland, the north of England and parts of the East and West Midlands and North Wales has a yellow wind warning in place, which is set to last until 21:00 on Sunday, and Northern Ireland's yellow wind warning will be in place until midday on Sunday.

It has emerged that an oil tanker sailing 350 nautical miles off the Isle of Mull with 21 people on board issued a distress alert to the HM Coastguard because of "large swells" on Saturday afternoon.

"A Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft was sent to investigate and established communications with the vessel," a spokesperson for the UK's Coastal & Maritime Agency said in a statement, without detailing from which country the ship was flagged.

The statement continued: "It was determined that there was no need for assistance, and that the vessel would continue with onwards passage."

Events across the country planned for the weekend have been cancelled due to the weather, and a number of travel disruptions have been reported.

In Merseyside, a River of Light event was called off for the second day in a row, and Knowsley Safari Park has announced that it will close on Sunday due to "high winds".

Several markets across the North West have also been cancelled due to the weather, including Quayside Makers Market in Salford and Macclesfield Treacle Market in Cheshire.

Dublin Airport in Ireland has cancelled several outbound and inbound flights and ferry providers such as StenaLine, Irish Ferries and P&O Ferries have cancelled a number of ferry crossings in the Irish Sea.

Jason Kelly, the Met Office's chief forecaster, said: "People should prepare for the potential for disruption, particularly to travel and power supplies. Secure loose items outside, plan ahead if you are travelling and keep up to date with the latest forecast and warnings for your area."