FIERCE storms have been battering Britain this morning (January 3) causing delays on the Dartford Crossing.

The latest round of unsettled weather with heavy rain and winds gusting up to 85mph has added more misery to the January blues as people returned to work after the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Drivers planning to use the Dartford Crossing between Kent and Essex are advised of possible delays due to gale-force winds.

The east bore tunnel of Dartford Crossing is closed to northbound traffic.

All northbound traffic is advised to use the west bore tunnel.

There are height restrictions to traffic in the west bore tunnel of 15ft 9in (4.8m).

The QEII Bridge is closed and southbound traffic is being diverted to use the east bore tunnel.

Bad weather has also meant some East Coast main line trains between London and Scotland had to start and terminate at Newcastle upon Tyne.

Other train passengers have been forced to take to the roads as buses replace East Coast services between London and Harrogate and Hull.

The Met Office issued severe weather warnings across many regions of the UK.

Forecasters told those living in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to be prepared, while localised flooding and a marked drop in temperature was expected for parts of Wales and north-west England.

Scotland was braced for the harshest weather conditions - the Met Office has issued warnings for both snow and high winds.

Parts of Wales saw gusts of more than 90mph in the early hours, with gusts of 93mph hitting Aberdaron in North Wales.

Billy Payne, a forecaster for MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "Much of Wales and south-west England have had gusts of over 60mph this morning.

"As low pressure comes in, central and south Scotland will bear the brunt of the winds today.

“We will see gusts of 70mph to 80mph, even 85mph in places."

He warned of "heavy rain, stormy winds and severe gales with damaging gusts", but said the rain should clear most parts of the country by this afternoon.