Storm Caroline latest: Oil rig workers evacuated as 80mph and snow bears down on UK

Sixty-nine workers removed from Ninian South platform off the coast of Aberdeen

With Storm Caroline expected to batter parts of Britain with gales up to 80mph workers were evacuated from a North Sea oil rig.

Almost half (69) of the 159 people working on CNR International's Ninian South platform, about 240 miles off the coast of Aberdeen, were brought ashore.

Winds are set to strengthen across parts of Britain over the course of the next few days and conditions will start to turn wet and blustery, especially across the north and north-west of the country.

A yellow "be aware" weather warning was put in place for northern Scotland, running from 8am on Thursday until just before midnight.

Met Office meteorologist Marco Petagna said: "Wednesday will see the last of the mild days, with temperatures in double figures, between 10C and 12C. Overnight, the main feature will be the increase in wind as Caroline starts to come in towards the end of the night.

"At the moment we have a yellow weather warning in place, but it could be upgraded to amber."

Road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected, while a loss of power in some areas is also possible. Coastal routes, seafronts and coastal communities are likely to be affected by spray or large waves.

Snow and falling temperatures are also forecast for parts of Britain later in the week.

A yellow snow and ice warning is in place for Friday for Scotland, Northern Ireland, western England and Wales.

Additional reporting by agencies