Strong winds are set to bring the first quarter of the year to a blustery end across south east London and north Kent.

Motorists are being warned of “difficult” conditions as a yellow "be aware" warning introduced on Monday remains in place for much of today (March 31)

The wind, which eased slightly this morning, will become very gusty again throughout the day, particularly near showers.

The Dartford Crossing was closed to all vehicles due to strong winds this morning, the Highways Agency said.

Traffic was diverted using one side of the Dartford Tunnel.

The crossing reopened at around 9.15am.

Parts of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales saw gusts of 50 to 60 mph overnight.

Gales reached up to 70 mph in parts of north Wales, the Bristol and Channel and East Anglia.

"While the winds should gradually ease, it's going to stay a pretty windy day," said Met Office forecaster Kirk Waite.

"There could potentially be some quite difficult conditions throughout the course of the morning for those getting up and heading out to work.

"The north west of the country is going to see some quite blustery showers moving in - it's probably going to see the strongest winds today."

While there may be a slight let-up, Mr Waite said the best we can expect are "some sunny spells".

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