Motorists have been advised against travel in parts of Scotland as Storm Henry sweeps in, bringing gusts of up to 90mph.

Traffic Scotland said only essential journeys should be attempted as roads, bridges and rail routes are battered by heavy rain and gale force winds.

Lorries have been blown over, trees uprooted and buildings damaged by the latest severe weather.

Henry is the eighth winter storm and comes days after the UK saw off Storm Gertrude, which brought gusts of more than 100mph in Shetland.

The Forth Road Bridge has been closed to all vehicles except cars, following gusts of 84mph, and it is expected to shut completely later.

The BBC has reported that winds of 50mph and 53mph have been recorded in Glasgow and Edinburgh respectively.

Amber 'be prepared' warnings for wind have been issued by the Met Office for Scotland, with winds set to hit 80-90mph. The warnings are in place until 9am tomorrow.

Yellow 'be aware' warnings for rain have also been issued for Highlands & the Western Isles, Strathclyde, and Central, Tayside & Fife.

The Herald:

The strong winds have also been causing problems on the coast, with CalMac cancelling and rescheduling services due to the weather.

Scotrail has issued a warning to commuters that the storm is 'likely' to affect services today. The company has advised people to check their journeys before travelling.

Network Rail also advised commuters to secure their properties.

Earlier today the Skye, Erskine and Kessock Bridges were closed to high sided vehicles due to the high winds.

Meanwhile, the Tay Bridge is also closed as winds continue to cause disruption.

The Met Office said: "Gusts of 70mph-80mph are expected widely, whilst gusts of 90mph are possible in the most exposed areas, especially across the Western Isles and along the west coast.

"Be prepared for some potentially severe weather, causing transport disruption and difficult driving, some structural damage, dangerous coastal conditions and disruption to power supplies."

Warnings for wind at the lesser yellow "be aware" level are in place for the whole of the northern UK and Northern Ireland.

Scottish Hydro is working on a "red alert", with engineers on standby in the Western Isles, north-west Highlands, Skye and Argyll.

Staff have already contacted vulnerable customers to see if they will need extra assistance in the event of a power cut.

Around 30 flood warnings are in place across Scotland.

Pascal Lardet from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said: "There is a coastal flood risk for the Western Isles today, due to storm force winds generating a large surge and waves.

"Flooding impacts could include disruption to travel, particularly causeways, from spray and wave overtopping. Elsewhere tides are currently low, however minimal impact from wave overtopping and spray is possible along exposed northern and western coastlines until Tuesday.

"Localised impacts are possible throughout Monday and overnight, including areas of the Firth of Clyde."