Schools forced to close and ferries cancelled as Storm Brendan rips through Scotland

A trampoline is lost on a motorway near Limerick, Ireland, in Storm Brendan. Photo / Twitter @finnan22

Schools were forced to close and ferries cancelled today as Storm Brendan ripped through parts of Scotland with gusts of up to 140km/h.

The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning of high winds across the west, south-west and north-east of the country.

Giant waves more than 7.5m high - nearly twice the height of a double decker bus - were whipped up by the storm off the Outer Hebrides.

The waves were recorded in the North Atlantic by a buoy called K5, which gathers data on the movement of the sea.

Western Isles Council closed all schools and nurseries to pupils as a precaution for the day, though schools are open for staff who are expected to attend "when they deem it safe to do so".

The Met Office said that some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are expected, particularly for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges.

Several Caledonian MacBrayne ferry services are affected, with some services cancelled due to adverse weather, while Northlink Ferries also told passengers there may be disruption on services to Orkney and Shetland.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has issued three flood warnings and 16 flood alerts around the country, warning of a risk of coastal flooding.

The storm previously hit Ireland and Wales.

In a video posted to Twitter, cars were shown trying to avoid a trampoline which has been blown onto the M7 near Limerick.