Deadly flying debris risk in 90mph storm

● Weather warning upgraded to amber as Storm Caroline heads for Scotland

Scotland was today braced for its worst storm of the winter yet with gusts of up to 90mph threatening to hurl potentially deadly debris around.

The Met Office has increased its severe weather warning to amber – “be prepared” – because of Storm Caroline’s expected ferocity. It will cover northern Scotland from 6am to midnight.

A spokeswoman for the agency said: “Gusts of 70mph to 80mph are expected widely, with 90mph gusts possible in exposed areas.

“Flying debris is likely and could lead to injuries or dan- ger to life. Some damage to buildings is possible, such as tiles blowing off roofs.

“Longer journey times and cancellations are likely, as road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected.”

Power cuts are expected and “beach material” thrown onto coastal roads and buildings.

A lesser yellow – “be aware” – alert will be in force for the rest of Scotland apart from the Borders and Dumfries and Galloway, from 6am-6pm.

Gusts there are expected to reach 60-70mph, rising to 80mph over high ground and exposed coasts.

Scotrail has cancelled trains on four lines and Calmac warned passengers of “severe disruption” likely on a “significant” number of routes. No trains will run between Inverness and Aberdeen, Wick and Kyle of Lochalsh, and between Glasgow and Oban/ Fort William/mallaig.

The train operator said a safety inspection would be carried out on the routes before a decision over when to resume services.

Several Calmac sailings have already been cancelled because of forecast winds of up to 80mph.

The Scottish Government’s Transport Scotland agency said there was a “strong possibility” of bridge closures and restrictions across the country, especially for high-sided vehicles.

Dozens of workers were airlifted from a North Sea platform due to safety fears ahead of the storm.

CNR International said 69 of the 159 staff on Ninian South, about 240 miles from Aberdeen, would be leaving the structure as a precaution.

Strong winds are forecast to continue battering Orkney and Shetland for the whole of tomorrow, where a yellow warning will be in force for 70-80mph gusts.

Ferries and flights expected to be disrupted.

Snow and ice are also forecast for western and northern Scotland, with a yellow warning for the whole of Friday and until 6pm on Saturday.

Up to 20cm of snow is forecast for parts of the north, with 2cm-5cm likely fairly widely elsewhere.

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Transport minister Humza Yousaf said: “We are facing some challenging weather conditions in the next few days as a result of Storm Caroline and we will be working closely with our partners to try to mitigate the worst of these and get information out to the public so that they can plan their journeys.

“Disruption is very likely but we will make every effort to recover the network as quickly as possible when incidents do occur.”