Scotland battered by high winds

High winds battered the west coast from early afternoon

An Atlantic storm brought winds of up to 80mph and heavy rain sweeping across Scotland on Friday night.

The Erskine Bridge was closed to all vehicles on Friday as winds took hold, with restrictions also in place on the Forth, Tay, Kessock and Skye bridges.

However, police said there were "no serious incidents", though some minor roads were blocked by falling trees.

Scottish Hydro Electric confirmed that about 3,500 homes in the Highlands and the Western Isles were without power.

'No major incidents'

The electricity firm confirmed that 1,500 homes in Argyll and the Western Highlands were without power, while 1,000 homes in the Highlands had been cut off.

A further 500 homes in the Western Isles and 350 in the northern area were also without electricity.

Scottish Power said there were "no major incidents" in its supply area.

The company had 300 engineers on stand-by overnight in case the situation worsened. A spokeswoman said 3,000 customers lost power in Dunfermline and Stirling, but they all had their power restored within 20 minutes.

Restrictions were in place on the Forth Road Bridge on Friday night, but it was back to normal, Fife Police said. The Erskine Bridge and the Skye Bridge, which had both been shut for a number of hours, have now been re-opened. The strongest gust was recorded at Lossiemouth in the north east where the wind reached 80mph.

In part of the north Highlands, almost 6cm of rain fell in nine hours.