Engineers are working to connect around 900 homes that remain without power after severe weather hit parts of the country.

Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution (SHEPD) said 918 properties in the north of Scotland are still cut off after the high winds, heavy rain and snow.

The worst area is rural Dingwall, where 320 homes are still affected by the outages which hit more than 120,000 last week and over the weekend.

In rural parts of Inverness-shire 210 homes remain cut off, with 208 properties affected in Wick and 180 in the Western Isles.

SHEPD said houses on the islands of Coll and Scalpay were proving particularly difficult to access as ferries, aircraft and helicopters have all been unable to travel due to the severe weather.

The electricity distributor said customers on both islands had been spoken to by phone or face-to-face to ensure they have access to heating and meals.

A statement said: "Customers affected by the outages in the Highlands are being offered hotel accommodation and meals, with catering facilities located at various sites across the region and the British Red Cross has been helping the electricity distributor to provide additional hot food, drinks and blankets to vulnerable customers."

Mountain Rescue teams helped distribute around 400 litres of soup overnight, while generators, hot food and drinks are being supplied to those in need, including at local hotels in Stornoway and Tarbert.

The Met Office said a gust of 86mph was recorded at Lerwick, Shetland, earlier today, with speeds of 85mph at Sella Ness.

The Western Isles experienced gusts of 82mph on South Uist and 78mph at Stornoway, Lewis, while winds hit 76mph at Sule Skerry in Orkney.

The adverse weather has affected NorthLink Ferries and CalMac sailings, with many being cancelled or put under review, and Stagecoach North Scotland said some bus services have been delayed due to the weather in and around the Inverness area.

Restrictions have been placed on many bridges, including the Skye Bridge, A9 Kessock Bridge, A9 Dornoch Bridge and Forth Road Bridge, due to high winds.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has eight flood alerts and 18 flood warnings in place.

The high winds are expected to be replaced by freezing conditions, with the Met Office issuing yellow "be aware" weather warnings for snow and ice.

The alert is in place for Scotland, as well as Northern Ireland, North West and North East England and Yorkshire and Humber from tonight through to Wednesday.

Forecasters said two to four centimetres (0.8 to 1.6 inches) of snow could fall on ground above 100 metres, with more than 10 centimetres (four inches) expected above 300 metres and icy patches likely from this evening.

Western coastal areas could also experience hail and lightning, according to the Met Office.

A cold weather alert has been put in place with forecasters warning of a 70% probability of severe cold weather and icy conditions until Sunday in parts of England.

The ferocious gales over the weekend were stirred up by an extra-powerful jet stream in the Atlantic triggered by plunging temperatures in the United States hitting warmer air from the south.

At the height of the bad weather, two men were swept out to sea at Brighton beach in gale-force conditions, while two teenagers remain in hospital after the car they were travelling in collided with a gritter truck in South Ayrshire.

A number of lorries overturned on motorways in the north of England, with winds widely reaching 70mph.

Plans to stabilise the cargo ship Hoegh Osaka near Southampton were also hampered by strong winds with a salvage team called off on Saturday.

High winds forced the cancellation of a performance at the Sunderland Empire after a statue on its roof toppled over and was left hanging from its base, 90ft up.

In the Cairngorm mountains, three people had to be rescued after being stranded in a blizzard.