UK weather forecast: High-speed gales of up to 80mph to hit Britain this week, Met Office warns

Yellow warnings in place for northern parts of the country

Heavy rain and gusts of up to 80 mph will batter the UK this week, forecasters have warned.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for Friday 7 December for the north of the country, with strong winds expected to lead to significant disruption.

People in the north have been warned that travel could be disrupted and that there is a chance of damage to buildings, injuries and a danger to life.

“On Friday we experience a wet and windy day with severe gales in the north,” Marco Petagna, a senior meteorologist at the Met Office told The Independent.

“We could see gusts of winds in Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England 60-70mph with a chance it could get up to 80mph.”

The Met Office has also issued warnings for potential power cuts due to the strong winds, with the hazardous conditions expected to cause widespread disruption.

On Wednesday England, Wales and the south-east of Scotland will have a wet start to the evening with the rain edging towards eastern England and eastern parts of Scotland.

A dry spell of weather will move west during the night but there will be lots of low cloud.

Areas of higher ground are likely to see gloomy conditions going into the weekend.