Storm Kathleen LIVE updates: Manchester Airport flights cancelled as UK battered by 70mph wind

Dozens of flights have been cancelled today as Storm Kathleen batters the north west bringing winds of up to 70mph to the UK and Ireland.

Flights from Manchester Airport are among those affected, with Irish airline Aer Lingus cancelling 10 flights to and from Dublin and Belfast today, and EasyJet dropping a flight from the Isle of Man to Manchester. As of midday, around 70 flights departing and arriving at airports across the UK had been cancelled

A Met Office yellow weather warning for wind is currently in place in parts of the the north-west and south-west of England and parts of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales until 10pm tonight. Storm Kathleen is expected to bring 50 to 60mph winds quite widely on Saturday, while some Irish Sea coastal regions will see gusts up to 70mph and large waves.

READ MORE: Manchester Airport flights cancelled as Storm Kathleen hits UK

Winds of 56mph have hit the Isles of Scilly off the Cornish coast on Saturday morning, the Met Office said. A further yellow warning for wind has been issued for north-west Scotland on Sunday between 9am and 3pm, with gusts of up to 70mph expected again.

The storm is also causing disruption to ferry routes and sports matches. P&O Ferries has cancelled sailings between Larne in Northern Ireland and Cairnryan in Scotland until 4pm on Saturday, while Saturday evening’s EPCR Challenge Cup rugby match between Edinburgh Rugby and Aviron Bayonnais has been moved to Scottish Gas Murrayfield from Hive Stadium due to the strong winds expected.

Elsewhere, in East Anglia and parts of the south, temperatures are expected to reach up to 22C on Saturday as warm air comes in from the continent. Met Office meteorologist Ellie Glaisyer told the PA news agency: “The