TWO lorries overturned after driving on a road which had already been closed as high winds brought widespread disruption to roads and ferries.

Gusts of up to 67 mph were recorded by the Met Office on the Western Isles while winds of 50mph were felt in the central belt as gales and rain blew in across the country.

Motorists were urged to drive with extra caution while a number of ferry routes were cancelled due to the bad weather, some for the second day in a row.

The A1 in East Lothian was shut to all vehicles early in the morning between Haddington and Thistly Cross because of the high winds, while high-sided lorries were restricted from driving upon the road's entire length between Edinburgh and the English border.

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However, Police Scotland said some drivers had been ignoring the warnings, and two lorries overturned.

The Herald:

The lorry tipped in high winds. Pic: Traffic Scotland 

Traffic Scotland reported one vehicle on its side between Thistly Cross and the Spot Roundabout, and another at Thorntonloch.

Insp Peter Houston, of Police Scotland, described the conditions as "atrocious". He told the BBC: "We have two high sided vehicles blown over despite the road being closed to high sided vehicles.

"Drivers are continuing to ignore police warnings that the road is closed."

The Met Office has issued yellow warnings of wind for parts of Scotland which came to an end at 9pm.

It said that gusts of 50-60mph were likely and warned of gales of 70-75mph around some of the most exposed coastal and upland sites.

The warning covered the Highlands and islands, Moray, Fife, Falkirk, south-west Scotland, Lothian and Borders and parts of Strathclyde.

Traffic Scotland said the A1 would be closed with a diversion via the A199 and advised drivers to plan ahead.

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Police tweeted: "If driving a vehicle which may be vulnerable to being blown over in high winds, please exercise additional caution and plan your route to avoid exposed areas or consider delaying your journey until conditions improve."

They advised people driving high-sided vehicles to avoid travelling on the A1 unless it was essential, and said motorists should allow extra time for their journey.

The Met Office warned that some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are likely while some short-term loss of power and other services is possible.

Almost all of the 28 ferry routes run by Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) have been affected, with sailings between Skye and North Uist, Ullapool to Stornoway and Wemyss Bay and Rothesay among those cancelled.

A spokesman for CalMac advised passengers to check their website before leaving for the ferry, and to plan ahead in case it was cancelled.

The Met Office said that the highest gust of the day was recorded on Uist, with a windspeed of 67mph. Winds of 50mph were recorded in Edinburgh, and elsewhere.

Their forecaster said that the high winds are expected to ease on Wednesday, before returning on Thursday, although these gusts would mostly be confined to northern England and wales.