HUNDREDS of passengers were left stranded ashore after a cruise ship slipped its moorings at Greenock Ocean Terminal as 'extreme winds' from Storm Ali battered the waterfront.

Luxury vessel Nautica was berthed alongside when the drama happened just after 11am yesterday, with ship breaking free and ending up pointing straight against the quay.

The passenger gangway and a dockside forklift were sent plunging into the River Clyde.

Hundreds of passengers who had disembarked earlier had to wait at Greenock Town Hall until the ship was brought back alongside last night before eventually departing for Belfast.

One eyewitness told the Tele: "I just heard this enormous noise and spotted the gangway literally bounce up and down and the ship was moving - it was very dramatic.

"The back of the boat then swung out and the gangway and the forklift fell into the river.

"Fortunately two tug boats were out on the river and they were on the scene in 20 minutes - it was very lucky."

The witness added that the gangway was not in operation before the incident due to the strong winds.

The vessel was taken out into the channel of the River Clyde by tugs and remained at anchor there all afternoon and into the evening.

Tourists who had just escaped a deadly hurricane in America were among the people who sought refuge in the town hall.

Mary Holloway and her husband Don said it was a shock to be greeted by more wild weather.

Mary told the Tele: "We are from North Carolina in the USA and we have just left Hurricane Florence and come to this.

"We can't believe it.

"It was unnerving to see the boat floating away from the dock."

The couple, both in their seventies, had been looking forward to a trip to Loch Lomond but it was called off.

Mary said: "Our excursion left on time but the weather deteriorated rapidly.

"So once we got to Luss we were turned round and brought back."

But the couple did not let that dampen their spirits and instead went on their own tour of Greenock.

Mary said: "We went to Greenock Town Hall first which was nice and warm and we got biscuits and coffee.

"Greenock is a lovely spot.

"Everyone was very friendly.

"We made the most of the situation and had a look round the town."

Vessel owners Oceania Cruises said no one was injured by the ship 'detaching' from the dock.

They added: "A total of 478 guests and 26 crew ashore were looked after by the shore operations teams until conditions were safe enough for the vessel to be returned to the passenger terminal."

Elsewhere, as the storm lashed the area throughout the day rail and ferry services were cancelled, trees were brought down, main roads were blocked and there was widespread structural damage.

A tree crashed onto a taxi on Greenock's Broomhill Street and a number of others trees which came down blocked Cloch Road in Gourock.

A McGill’s Glasgow to Largs bus was among the vehicles which had to turn back at Lunderston Bay.

Passenger Isabel Lind said: "It really was quite scary.

"The driver had to turn and go a different way.”

At the other end of the district, the A8 was temporarily closed at Bogston for a short time due to debris on the road.

Inverclyde Council said roads department workers attended 20 locations throughout the district as result of Storm Ali.

ScotRail suspended trains on the Gouroc and Wemyss Bay lines due to power line problems, and ferry passengers fared no better.

Both Argyll Ferries and Western Ferries cancelled crossings and CalMac’s Wemyss Bay service was affected too.

The wild weather also took its toll on local buildings.

A two-metre long section of metal panelling was blown off Gourock Railway Station and smashed into a taxi.

Eyewitness Jenni Murray, 42, of Gourock, said: "I was walking away from the main building and I heard a loud bang.

"It was lucky no-one was injured."

Jenni said the section was one of 'two or three' pieces of the building that had come loose and were being blown about.

In Greenock, falling masonry was reported from a tenement on Dellingburn Street, with police called to the scene, while there were reports of garage roofs being torn off by gusts.

A window was blown out of premises in Cathcart Street, with the pavement cordoned off.

Conditions finally eased off later in the evening.