Storm Ashley clean-up begins after high winds and flooding

The clean-up will begin later after Storm Ashley brought high winds and flood alerts to the Western Isles and northern Scotland on Sunday.

Ferries, flights and trains was disrupted during amber and yellow weather warnings across parts of the UK, with winds of up to 80mph recorded.

An injured passenger was airlifted from a ferry between Aberdeen and Orkney on Sunday evening after falling on board in rough conditions.

Earlier, police said a man, woman and young boy were taken to hospital after getting into difficulty in the sea at Aberdeen Beach.

Officers attended along with the Coastguard and the Scottish Ambulance Service, who urged members of the public to leave the beach due to “unsafe conditions”.

Police Scotland said the three people safely got out of the water in “exceptional weather” and had been checked over in hospital.

Environment agency Sepa had issued a series of flood warnings.

Flood duty manager Catherine Evans, said these would drop off throughout the day but urged drivers to avoid areas of high tide.

Speaking to BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland programme, she said: “We’re seeing a much improved picture but there will still be some minor risk of coastal flooding, particularly in Orkney.

“The main thing to watch out for here is to never drive through flood water, take care when you’re travelling and and sign up for flood warnings and the latest updates”.

Ferry operator CalMac cancelled almost all of its Sunday sailings, cutting off services to the islands including Arran, Bute, Lewis and Harris.

Western Ferries, which operates the Dunoon-Gourock route, also suspended services on Sunday evening due to the worsening conditions.

P&O Ferries cancelled sailings between Larne in Northern Ireland and Cairnryan in Scotland’s south west.

Dozens of flights were also cancelled at Belfast City Airport and Dublin Airport, mainly impacting Aer Lingus flights.

Some trains in Scotland were also cancelled, with many routes subject to speed restrictions.

ScotRail paused services between Kilwinning and Largs/Ardrossan due to waves coming over the sea wall at Saltcoats and reaching overhead lines.

Train speed restrictions were in place for services in the west and north Highlands, Ayrshire, Stranraer and between Perth and Inverness.

ScotRail warned that services on Monday could be affected by trees and debris on the track.

Meteorologists say Storm Ashley, the first named storm of the season, saw a rapid drop of pressure as it moved in from the Atlantic on Saturday – a phenomenon called a “weather bomb”.