Scotland weather: More gales hit parts of Scotland

Localised flooding has affected many parts of Scotland

Scotland's west coast has borne the brunt of continuing severe weather with gales gusting up to 70mph.

High winds battering the coast are expected to ease as an area of low pressure continues to move across northern parts of the country.

Flood alerts and warnings have been issued in many regions due to high seas and heavy rainfall across the country.

Yellow Met Office "be aware" warnings of high winds were in force for some parts of the country.

They included the Highlands, Western Isles, Orkney, Shetland and Argyll and Bute.

The storm peaked between 14:00 and 16:00 with wind speeds of 70mph recorded in the Outer Hebrides at South Uist and Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis.

The village of Aultbea in Wester Ross was buffeted by gusts of 62mph and Inverbervie in Aberdeenshire was hit by winds of between 50mph and 60mph.

Flood alerts - warning of the possibility of flooding - will remain in force overnight for coastal areas in the north and west.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said gales and large waves could result in flooding at high tide.

It also put flood warnings in place for parts of Tayside where flooding was expected due to rivers running high.

Lightning struck in central Scotland as stormy weather swept across parts of the country on Saturday

Drivers were urged to take care with the possibility of fallen trees and surface water on the roads.

Stormy conditions caused widespread disruption throughout the country on Saturday.

The high winds have caused damage to property

Gusts of 60-70mph swept across some areas, with Traffic Scotland warning drivers of crosswinds and falling trees and debris.

A number of ferry services on the west coast were cancelled.

Flooding and problems with overhead wires affected some ScotRail lines and some football matches were called off.

Bridges were also affected, with the Forth, Tay, Skye and Kessock road bridges closed for a period to high-sided vehicles.

Wind speeds of 66mph were recorded at Inverbervie in Aberdeenshire and Eskdalemuir in Dumfries and Galloway, while a gust of 65mph hit South Uist in the Outer Hebrides.

On higher ground, wind speeds reached 102mph on the Applecross peninsula in Wester Ross and 111mph at Tomintoul in the Cairngorms National Park.

This weekend's severe weather comes in the wake of a storm earlier this month that battered the country with winds of up to 142mph.

A lorry driver died, thousands of homes were left without power and commuters faced major travel disruption on 5 December.