Christmas getaway disruption: Storm-force winds to batter Britain with 80mph winds

The UK could be battered by storm-force winds this weekend, causing travel chaos ahead of the Christmas getaway. The Met Office have warned that gusts reaching up to 80mph could cause serious disruption as an area of low pressure crosses the far north of the UK on Saturday.Yellow wind warnings have been released for the weekend, with one covering Scotland, much of Northern Ireland, north Wales and north-west England between 7am and midnight on Saturday.Another warning is in place between midnight and 9pm on Sunday, covering Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and all of western England.Winds of up to 85mph could hit coastal areas across northern Scotland on Saturday afternoon and evening, with more widespread gusts of 50-60mph on Sunday.However, London is likely to be spared the worst of the weather with light rain and a moderate breeze expected on both Friday and Saturday.Temperatures are also expected to hit a high of 12C in the capital on Saturday afternoon, according to BBC Weather.Meanwhile, the RAC and transport analytics Inrix have urged travellers to avoid certain roads this weekend to escape the worst of the holiday traffic.Heavy congestion is expected on the M3 between its junction with the M25 and the south coast, the M25 anticlockwise between its junctions with the M1 and the M23, and the M53 from Chester to Liverpool.