A yellow alert for wind also came into force between 3am and 6am for Northern Ireland, while a second warning covering much of Britain came into effect three hours later and was set to last until 6pm, with the Met Office warning of “very strong winds” of up to 70mph.

High winds have caused disruption across Northern Ireland going into the weekend - with some roads closed by fallen trees and winds up to 70mph expected on Sunday.

The wind warning reads: “Southerly to southwesterly winds are expected to increase through Sunday morning, peaking late morning to early afternoon with gusts of 50-60mph, and perhaps as much as 70mph in exposed spots along Irish Sea coastlines.”