West Somerset is on red alert with Storm Darragh expected to sweep in with 90mph winds tomorrow.

The Met Office has increased the weather warning to ‘red’ for parts of West Somerset, the Bristol Channel, and South and West Wales from 3am until 11am tomorrow (Saturday, December 11).

Minehead, Blue Anchor, Porlock, Watchet and other coastal communities will all be in the firing line, with the wider South west region also facing an amber wind warning which will run until 9pm tomorrow.

This large area of low pressure will bring strong winds and some heavy rain to much of the UK.

A large yellow wind warning covering the UK, away from central and northern Scotland, is in place from 3pm today until 6am on Sunday, together with yellow rain warnings for Northern Ireland, northern England and southern Scotland.

An amber rain warning for parts of Wales is also in force for a time tomorrow.

There is also a risk of snow on the northern flank of this storm and a snow warning for parts of Scotland overnight has been issued.

A large yellow wind warning covering the UK, is in place from 3pm today to 6am on Sunday December 8, together with yellow rain warnings for Northern Ireland, northern England and southern Scotland.

Met Office chief forecaster Jason Kelly said: “The worst impacts from Storm Darragh will be felt as we go through the early hours of tomorrow morning and throughout Saturday with, in addition to the broad yellow warning, red and amber wind warnings in place from 1am tomorrow.

“In the red warning area, we could see wind gusts of up to 90mph along the coasts of west and south Wales as well as funnelling through the Bristol Channel, with some very large waves on exposed beaches.

“Although there is a lower likelihood of impacts outside of the red and amber warning areas this doesn’t mean you won’t see them.

“We are likely to see impacts across the whole of the country and people should keep an eye on the latest forecast details and prepare for the bad weather, especially if planning to be out and about on Saturday.

“Some areas are likely to have a relatively quiet start to Saturday, weather-wise, but winds will quickly increase from the west through the day”

For the latest weather situation please stay up to date with the National Severe Weather Warnings.

Dale Hipkiss, duty manager at National Highways, said: “If you're planning to drive over the next few days, prepare in advance for the journey and take extra care on the roads.

“If weather conditions become challenging, adjust your driving behaviour to manage the conditions as safely as possible.

“It’s also a good idea for drivers to check their vehicles, such as tyres, coolant and oil levels, before heading out to reduce the risk of breakdowns.”