Strong winds and heavy rain have started to hit parts of Scotland as Storm Callum sweeps in.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning of wind for the Highlands and Islands and Strathclyde - and wind and rain for southern Scotland.

The weather warning is in force from 3am until just before midnight on Friday.

The storm has already caused chaos in Ireland with thousands of homes and businesses left without power.

Counties Cork, Kerry and Donegal were among the worst hit with around 20,000 properties were impacted during the night.

In Northern Ireland, hundreds of homes and businesses also experienced power loss.

Several flights were cancelled out of Dublin and Belfast due to the storm.

A weather warning is in force until just before midnight in Scotland on Friday as Storm Callum sweeps in
Satellite image from NASA shows Storm Callum beginning to envelop Scotland

Winds up to 76mph and torrential rain have also started to hit southern England.

The highest speeds were recorded on the Isles of Scilly in the early hours of Friday morning, while 60mph gales were recorded in Camborne in Cornwall and Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire.

Western Power Distribution said more than 950 homes had been left without electricity in south-west England and nearly 100 were without power in south Wales.

Some flights were cancelled at Cardiff and Exeter Airports on Friday morning while rail passengers in Wales and the South West of England were warned of disruption to services due to high winds.

Forecasters said that some delays to road, rail , air and ferry transport are likely in Scotland as the day goes on.

The rain warning, which runs from 5am until just before midnight, says: "Storm Callum brings a spell of heavy and persistent rain on Friday, with the potential for flooding."

A Met Office Yellow weather warning is in place for large parts of Scotland on Friday

It warns that spray and flooding may create difficult driving conditions and may lead to some road closures and disruption to transport.

The latest warnings come days after rain and strong winds brought flooding and transport disruption to parts of Scotland on Tuesday.

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The A83 remains closed following a landslip at the Rest and be Thankful , when around 2,500 tonnes of material from multiple landslips was caught in specialist debris netting above the carriageway.

Motorists are currently facing a diversion of almost 60 miles, although it is hoped the Old Military Road can be opened as a shorter diversion once it has been deemed safe.

The second of three large boulders on the hillside above the A83 has been made safe after being exposed by multiple landslips and teams are now working to address a third boulder above the carriageway.

The A83 Rest And Be Thankful road in Argyll and Bute remains shut due to landslips

Once all three boulders are made safe, a final safety check will take place before preparing the Old Military Road for opening.

Tommy Deans, BEAR Scotland's North West Network Manager, said: "Safety remains our top priority, and although we have prepared the Old Military Road so it is ready to open we can only do so once the go-ahead is given from the geotechnical assessment.

"That said, we remain hopeful that teams will be able to achieve this sometime on Friday ahead of the weekend.

"In the meantime, we remind road users that Argyll remains open for business, and rest assured we're doing everything possible to get the Old Military Road open as soon as we can."