The overhead wires at Wemyss Bay railway station in Inverclyde could be at risk, according to Network Rail Scotland.

Northumberland County Council says it is ready to support residents as Storms Dudley and Eunice hit north-east England and Scotland.

The authority said its response was "well under way" based on the experiences from four previous storms.

It had faced criticism for its response to Storm Arwen, which left thousands of people without power.

It has now provided some useful contact details:

• Northumberland County Council out-of-hours service: 0345 600 6400

• Northumberland Communities Together (for anyone struggling with food supplies or other essentials) Mon-Fri 09:00 - 18:00: 01670 620015
• Northern Powergrid: Click here to visit the Northern Powergrid website, external or call 105
• Scottish Power: Click here to visit the Scottish Power website, external or call 105
• Northumbria Water: 0345 717 1100
• One Call (for concerns about vulnerable residents or safeguarding issues): 01670 536400
• Click here to read the Met Office storm safety advice, external

Image source, MJ RICHARDSON

A number of historic sites have closed in Edinburgh, the Lothians and Fife as Storm Dudley kicks in.

Blackness Castle in West Lothian, Craigmillar Castle in Edinburgh, Dirleton Castle and Tantallon Castle in East Lothian and Dunfermline Abbey in Fife closed at 13:00.

In Cumbria, our reporter says the wind and waves are picking up in Maryport as Storm Dudley bites.

Storm Dudley is gathering pace - and so is the disruption it is causing.

Here are the headlines so far:

• A Met Office amber weather warning for Storm Dudley has been brought forward by two hours with an alert running from 14:00 until midnight.

• The Scottish government and Police Scotland have warned of disruption across the public transport network.
• National Highways, the government agency which maintains roads in England, has also urged motorists in the affected area to only travel if "absolutely necessary".
• The amber warning covers central and southern Scotland, as well as parts of England and Northern Ireland.
• ScotRail confirmed its last services will be departing between 14:00 and 15:30 across most of Scotland before they cease at 16:00.
• Ferry operators have suspended a number of services, with CalMac confirming it is expecting waves of up to 12 metres (39ft) around the Hebrides.
• Restrictions are in place on the Forth Road Bridge and the Erskine Bridge.
• Northern Powergrid said there was a "relatively high likelihood that there will be some disruption to power supplies" but it was "ready to respond".
• In Yorkshire, the Humber Bridge has been closed to high-sided vehicles while a number of trains between Leeds and London have been cancelled due to damage to overhead power lines.
• And the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association has urged people to "stay at home" during the storms.

Image source, Getty Images

An energy firm is urging customers to charge up their mobile phones and have a torch at the ready in case of a power cut.

SP Energy Networks has issued a series of tips on how people affected by storm damage can stay safe and connected.

The company has also set up a national 105 emergency helpline.

Image source, PA Media

Electricity North West's Paul Bircham says it is "very prepared" and more staff have been drafted in across its operation, with others moved to "specially-designed" storm roles.

He insists lessons have been learned from Storm Arwen, which saw around 10 to 20% of customers affected by "multiple faults" on the network.

"Storm Arwen was a one-in-25-year storm, it's always difficult when you get so much damage to be able to accurately predict when the network will be restored for everybody," he told BBC Look North.

ScotRail confirms train services are winding down across Scotland.

The operator announced on Tuesday that services would end by 16:00.

But it said the Far North, Kyle of Lochalsh, and Aberdeen to Inverness lines will continue to run as they are located in areas not covered by the storm warning.

Image source, Getty Images

Ferry operator CalMac says all sailings between Ullapool and Stornoway on Thursday are liable to disruption or cancellation at short notice.

All services between Mallaig and the Small Isles have been cancelled.

The company suspended most of its services on Wednesday morning ahead of Storm Dudley hitting the west coast of Scotland.

Image source, Getty Images

Police in Cumbria say a "multi-agency response" has been prepared to tackle any impact from the storms.

Supt Matt Pearman said: "All agencies are working together to ensure that our communities have access to the help and support they may require during the storms.

"We also ask that our communities prepare themselves ahead of Dudley and Eunice and make themselves aware of the key contacts and ensure any vulnerable people within our communities are also aware and prepared."

Communities across the north-east of England and Cumbria have been preparing for the arrival of this week's storms.

Paul Hedley (pictured), chief fire officer at Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service, said preparations for Dudley and Eunice began earlier this week, with work carried out to secure trees and clean drains.

He urged members of the public to "secure anything that may be a hazard in high winds".

"The most important thing is please, unless it's absolutely necessary, don't go out in the storms and only travel if it's absolutely essential."

A generator has been installed at Jubilee Hall in Rothbury, Northumberland, in case the village suffers power outages as it did in Storm Arwen in November and Storm Malik in January.

Northumberland County Councillor Stephen Bridgett said the hall would act as a "warm hub" if needed, adding: "As soon as I see another storm come in, it is a weight on the shoulders."

An amber weather warning covering parts of Scotland, England and Northern Ireland is now in place until midnight.

There has already been widespread disruption across the UK with train and ferry services cancelled.

Angie Brown
Edinburgh and East reporter

Image source, Historic Environment Scotland

Edinburgh Castle has now closed ahead of Storm Dudley arriving in the city.

Last entry was at 11:30 so the historic visitor attraction could shut at 13:00.

There will also be a delayed opening of the castle on Thursday until 10:30.

Ticket holders have been told to rearrange their visit time slots through the Historic Environment Scotland website.

Chris Fawkes
BBC Weather presenter

Storms Dudley and Eunice are the fourth and fifth named storms of the 2021-22 UK storm season.

Storms are named to alert the public to a heightened risk of severe weather that is expected to cause disruption. Storms have been named by the Met Office, along with the Republic of Ireland weather service, Met Éireann, since 2015.The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) also joined the initiative in 2019.

You can see the current list of storm names below and read more about storms here.

Image source, SOLWAY VIEW/ BBC WEATHER WATCHERS

Coastal areas will be hit first - and hard - as Storm Dudley moves in.

But further inland, areas historically affected by flood damage could also be in the firing line.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency is urging residents and drivers to take care.

Live information on flood alerts and warnings can be found here, external.

Travellers in the north of England are being warned to expect significant disruption as Storm Dudley arrives.

Durham County Council is urging all drivers to take care, especially those of high-sided vehicles, on busy routes such as the A1M, A19 and A66.

In Yorkshire, the Humber Bridge has been closed to high-sided vehicles , externalwhile a number of trains between Leeds and London have been cancelled due to damage to overhead power lines.

London Northern Eastern Railway said there would be speed restrictions on the line north from Berwick from 16:00 and services would be subject to delays and short-notice cancellations.

Should we be more worried about Dudley or Eunice?published at 13:23 Greenwich Mean Time 16 February 2022

13:23 GMT 16 February 2022

Simon King
BBC weather presenter and meteorologist

Dudley will affect the north of the UK bringing 60-70mph winds, which are not extraordinary for this time of year for those areas.

But there are travel restrictions and there will be some damage, some disruption and we need to take care and make arrangements as Storm Dudley will pack a punch.

With an amber warning there’s the potential for some trees coming down, possibly on to power lines which could lead to more power cuts.

But I think we need to be more careful about Storm Eunice. It's going to come in from the south west and it’s going to hit a good portion of England and Wales and there’s an amber warning in force already. When we’re talking about gusts of wind of 70-80mph through inland areas of southern and central England, that is quite extraordinary.

As Eunice moves in we might well see quite significant snow over the hills of northern England, into southern Scotland and Northern Ireland, so it’s not just the wind.

And then on Sunday we could see another storm. But the focus for the moment is Dudley and Eunice.

Scotland's Deputy First Minister John Swinney has warned the country is facing a "very challenging" few days.

He told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme that people should expect very strong winds and heavy rain over the course of the next 24 hours.

Mr Swinney said there may then be a gap before Storm Eunice brings heavy snow and further gales.

He also confirmed the Scottish government's resilience plan was activated at the weekend when the Met Office weather warnings became apparent.

The deputy first minister said the conditions are likely to be "pretty disruptive", especially as some parts of the country are still recovering from extreme weather last month.

Mr Swinney added: "There is a danger that some of the damage and disruption that was created by the most recent storms, Malik and Corrie, is compounded by Dudley and Eunice."

Angie Brown
Edinburgh and East reporter

Princes Street Gardens is to close at 15:00 ahead of Storm Dudley reaching the capital. Other services being disrupted in Edinburgh include;

• Lauriston Castle will also close at 15:00 with the City Art Centre and Museum of Edinburgh shutting at 14:00. Libraries are remaining open across the city.
• Edinburgh schools are off for the February break and holiday clubs are continuing as usual.
• East Lothian schools are also on half term but all public buildings including offices, libraries and recycling centres in the area will close early at 16:00.
• Edinburgh Zoo said it was not planning to shut early as its normal closure time is 16:00.

Image source, Getty Images

Scotland's largest local authority has confirmed its mobile Covid testing units will close at 13:00 following the updated weather warnings.

Glasgow City Council had planned to suspend services at 15:00 but tweeted , externalthat it has now brought the cut off forward.

Walk-in services are also unavailable today.

The council said: "We will continue to monitor the situation and provide any updates on further services due to be affected."