80mph winds have battered the northern half parts of the UK as Storm Pia threatened to bring chaos to pre-Christmas travel plans.

The Met Office issued a yellow warning for wind remaining in place until 3pm on Thursday (21 December).

That had been brought forward from 9pm as the Met Office said the worst of the wind was expected to be in the morning, with conditions slowly easing.

The yellow warning means journeys could be disrupted, there was the potential for power cuts and coastal routes could be affected by waves or spray.

Gusts of 81mph were recorded at Brizlee Wood, near Alnwick, Northumberland, and at Baltasound on Shetland, with gusts of more than 70mph recorded elsewhere in the North East of England.

National Rail reported that routes across Scotland, and parts of England and Wales were affected, and speed restrictions were in place on lines within the weather warning area.

People on social media reported their sleep had been disturbed by Storm Pia, not officially named by the Met Office, but given named status by the Danish authorities where it was expected to have an even greater impact than in the UK.

Oli Claydon, a Met Office spokesman, said while the winds will ease through the day, it will remain breezy.

"Looking ahead to Christmas Day, there could be a “technical” White Christmas"

Further weather warnings for snow and ice have been issued for Shetland and northern Scotland from Friday and into the weekend, with accumulations of 10-15cm on higher ground possible in the Highlands, before milder air brings rain on Saturday.

Scotland and northern England will also be hit by persistent rain and showers following Storm Pia.

Looking ahead to Christmas Day, there could be a “technical” White Christmas, with a “small chance” of snow falling on higher ground in Scotland.

But Mr Claydon said: “This won’t be picture postcard snowy scenes.”

More widely, the picture for Christmas Day looked to be unsettled weather in the south of England, with showers in Northern Ireland and western Scotland, with northern England remaining dry.