Red warnings have been issued for Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland on Friday, as the dangerous Storm Éowyn heads towards the UK. The rare warnings for wind mean flying debris could cause a danger to life, with gusts up to 100mph (161km/h) along some exposed coasts.

Gusts over 100km/h have been recorded in Munster as several Status Red wind warnings are due to come into effect as Storm Éowyn hits Ireland in the early hours of this morning.

Thousands of schools are expected to close, with drivers also warned to stay off the roads and rail services suspended amid rare red weather warnings as Storm Eowyn gets set to batter parts of the UK.