Storm Eowyn LIVE as road shut, Manchester Airport flights cancelled, trains chaos and urgent Met Office warnings

A number of weather warnings are now in place with strong winds set to batter the UK today as Storm Eowyn hits.

Rail services and flights have been axed, with rare red weather warnings issued for Scotland and Northern Ireland as Storm Eowyn is likely to damage buildings, uproot trees and cause power cuts, the Met Office said. The Met Office says 'very strong winds' are expected to bring 'widespread disruption', including power cuts, damage to buildings and vehicles, and delays or cancellations to road, rail and air travel.

In Greater Manchester, an amber yellow weather warning for wind, alongside a yellow weather warning, are now in place throughout much of Friday. Manchester Airport urged travellers jetting off on Friday to 'check with airlines for up-to-date information' in the case of delays or cancellations - with a number of flights to Dublin and Belfast cancelled on Friday morning.

Drivers have been warned not to travel unless necessary, as the National Highways said the A66 between the A1M in North Yorkshire and M6 in Cumbria, as well as the A628 Woodhead Pass in Derbyshire and South Yorkshire, were both closed overnight due to strong winds.

A number of train companies including Avanti West Coast, Lumo, CrossCountry and Grand Central have also told customers not to travel on routes across parts of north Wales, Scotland and northern England with no services running.

Some 4.5 million people across the UK also received emergency alerts on their phones warning of the incoming storm in the “largest real life use of the tool to date” on Thursday.

Further amber and yellow weather warnings for wind and rain have also been issued across Saturday and Sunday.

This is a breaking news blog. Further updates will appear