A storm named Diana has brought strong winds and heavy rain to parts of the UK as a number of flood warnings were issued for the South West.

The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for wind in western parts of the UK, from Cornwall up the coast to the far north of Scotland, as wind gusts of up to 75mph are expected on Wednesday.

Flooding is expected at Lyme Regis harbour and West Bay harbour in Dorset, the Environment Agency has warned, with flooding possible in other parts of the South West and Wales.

Met Office spokesman Richard Miles said the warnings are at the “lower end of the impact scale”, but advised people to be cautious in the conditions.

He said: “We have a yellow warning for wind in the west of the UK for today and tomorrow.

“There could be some risks for high-sided vehicles on high roads, and people should be careful in coastal areas.

“We’ve also got a yellow warning for rain in Scotland with quite high levels of rain in the area, and we could see 40-50mm of rain across the hills.”

Flooding
Drivers have been warned to take especial care on the roads (Niall Carson/PA)

Winds of 60mph are expected across western regions, but the strongest gusts are predicted in the far north of Scotland, with Shetland bracing for winds of up to 75mph through Wednesday and into Thursday.

Mr Miles added: “Anyone in the UK can expect to see wind and rain over the next few days.”

Diana is not on the list of the Met Office’s official storm names for this winter, and originated further south. 

Mr Miles said the storm, named by the Portuguese authorities, “had quite an impact on islands in the Atlantic”, but had weakened as it travelled towards the UK.

He explained: “By the time it got to us it would not meet the criteria for us to name it.”

The last Met Office named storm was Callum, which battered parts of the UK in mid-October. The next name to be used will be Deirdre.

The AA have issued advice for drivers travelling in the wintry conditions.

George Flinton of the AA said: “Heavy rain and strong wind, coupled with commuting home in the dark, can make for some very hazardous driving conditions.

“Check the travel news before you set off and take particular care where roads dip, for example under railway bridges, which are more likely to flood.

“If the road ahead is flooded, don’t chance it – flood water can be deceptively deep, so turn around and find another route.”