Renewed warning of gales

Motorists are being advised to take care due to strong winds

A warning of strong winds and heavy rain affecting the whole of Wales has been issued but the storm is expected to ease into Friday night.

After north Wales received a battering on Thursday night, the rest of the country braced itself for similar weather on Friday.

One of the worst places was the south and west coast - Mumbles was one of the windiest places in the UK, with storm force gusts of 84 mph.

BBC Wales' weatherman Derek Brockway said: "The Atlantic depression responsible for the bad weather is moving away into the North Sea and that means the winds will ease and it will turn drier as well.

"So the weather will improve Friday tonight and we can look forward to a much calmer weekend.

But the Met Office were still warning about standing surface water on roads and poor visibility for drivers due to spray.

Strong to gale force winds will also add to the very difficult conditions with gusts up to 65 mph in many areas bordering Cardigan bay, Caernarfon Bay and parts of the Bristol Channel.

Gusts between 45 and 55 mph are also likely in many other parts of the country.

Ferries

The strong winds in north Wales have made things difficult for ferries at Holyhead on Anglesey.

The Adventurer and Ulysses were continuing to sail on Friday but two faster ferries which use Holyhead are unable to sail.

The Irish Ferries Jonathon Swift remains in Dublin and is "highly unlikely" to sail, according to a spokesman for the Marine Control Office at Holyhead.

Severe storms hit the UK last year

The Stena Explorer will not sail from Holyhead at 0855 GMT, is unlikely to sail at 1345 GMT, but may be able to sail at 1830 GMT, according to the spokesman.

There are speed restrictions on Britannia Bridge, Briton Ferry Bridge and the new Severn Crossing due to high winds.

The new Dee Bridge in Flintshire has been closed as has the Cleddau Bridge in Pembrokeshire and the old Severn Bridge..

The Flintshire bridge in Connahs Quay was closed because of high winds from midnight on Thursday and is expected to remain closed for most of the day on Friday.

Trees were blown down in Carmarthenshire, but these caused minimal disruption as they fell away from the main routes.

In Ceredigion, heavy rain led to localised flooding although the roads did remain open.