Storm Ashley clean-up begins after high winds and flooding

Police cordoned off an area of Aberdeen beach on Sunday after three people got into difficulty

The clean-up is taking place after Storm Ashley brought high winds and flood alerts to the Western Isles and northern Scotland on Sunday.

Ferries, flights and trains were disrupted during amber and yellow weather warnings across parts of the UK, with winds of up to 80mph recorded.

An injured passenger was airlifted from a ferry between Aberdeen and Orkney on Sunday evening after falling on board in rough conditions.

Earlier, police said a man, woman and young boy were taken to hospital after getting into difficulty in the sea at Aberdeen Beach.

Officers attended along with the Coastguard and the Scottish Ambulance Service, who urged members of the public to leave the beach due to "unsafe conditions".

Police Scotland said the three people safely got out of the water in "exceptional weather" and had been checked over in hospital.

Western Ferries suspended services on Sunday evening

Gigantic waves at Lendalfoot in South Ayrshire

Environment agency Sepa had issued a series of flood warnings.

Flood duty manager Catherine Evans, said these would drop off throughout the day but urged drivers to avoid areas of high tide.

She told BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland programme: "We’re seeing a much improved picture but there will still be some minor risk of coastal flooding, particularly in Orkney.

"The main thing to watch out for here is to never drive through flood water, take care when you’re travelling and and sign up for flood warnings and the latest updates".

SSEN Distribution said it was reconnecting power to around 250 homes in the north east that were cut off during the storm.

Network Rail teams were out in the early hours to remove fallen branches

A trampoline tries to make an escape in high winds in the Highland village of Brora

Ferry operator CalMac cancelled almost all of its Sunday sailings, cutting off services to the islands including Arran, Bute, Lewis and Harris.

Western Ferries, which operates the Dunoon-Gourock route, also suspended services on Sunday evening due to the worsening conditions.

P&O Ferries cancelled sailings between Larne in Northern Ireland and Cairnryan in Scotland's south west.

Dozens of flights were also cancelled at Belfast City Airport and Dublin Airport, mainly impacting Aer Lingus flights.

Some trains in Scotland were also cancelled, with many routes subject to speed restrictions.

ScotRail paused services between Kilwinning and Largs/Ardrossan due to waves coming over the sea wall at Saltcoats and reaching overhead lines.

Train speed restrictions were in place for services in the west and north Highlands, Ayrshire, Stranraer and between Perth and Inverness.

ScotRail warned that services on Monday could be affected by trees and debris on the track.

Network Rail Scotland said response teams were patrolling the Mallaig and Oban lines to clear fallen trees and branches.

Meteorologists say Storm Ashley, the first named storm of the season, saw a rapid drop of pressure as it moved in from the Atlantic on Saturday - a phenomenon called a "weather bomb".