'Very gusty' winds set to cause Christmas Eve travel disruption with Met Office weather warnings in place

Travel disruption is expected today - Christmas Eve - as 'very gusty winds' hit the UK, with a number a yellow weather warnings issued by the Met Office.

Gusts as high as 70mph are due to hit much of Scotland and northern and central areas of England today (December 24). Two separate yellow wind warnings have been issued by the Met Office, with those covered by the warnings warned to expect travel disruption, damage to buildings and power cuts.

The rest of the country may also see showers during the day, according to forecasters. Eastern parts of Greater Manchester are covered by the warning which comes into force at 8am and will last until 10pm tonight.

READ MORE: The little girl who can't wait for Christmas... but is desperate for more than toys

READ MORE: Mum-of-two looked 'heavily pregnant' before being given devastating Christmas Eve diagnosis

Gusts are expected to reach speeds of up to 40mph in our region, though over higher grounds and on the Pennines - particularly over the M62 - the winds will be stronger. The AA has warned of 'lengthy jams' for traffic today with millions set to take to the roads in the windy conditions..

Forecaster Jonathan Vautrey said: "Obviously there will be quite a lot of people travelling and wanting to get home for Christmas itself. Particularly with these strong winds we could see some flying debris thrown on to particular roads or railway services, so if you get a tree down then that’s going to cause cancellations and delays.

"There’s the potential for isolated power cuts which will again lead to the risk of some disruption at times. If you’ve got a particular train that you’re catching make sure you’re looking ahead of time if there have been any cancellations.

"Just make