BRITAIN can look forward to a "brief respite" from winds that battered the country, but forecasters expect gusts of up to 75mph tonight.

Two men were killed yesterday (January 3) as winds of more than 100mph hit the UK, bringing travel chaos as millions of people returned to work after the festive season.

A man in his 50s was crushed by a falling tree as he sat in the driver's seat of a parked van in Tunbridge Wells.

Meanwhile a member of crew on board a tanker was killed after the vessel was hit by a large wave off the coast of the south Devon/Cornwall border.

Trees fell on to railway tracks and power lines, lorries toppled over on busy roads and flood warnings were issued after rivers swelled.

Billy Payne, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "There's going to be a brief respite this morning, but winds will pick up later in the day.

"There will be maximum gusts of 75mph, mainly in exposed parts of western Scotland.

“But even across northern England and eastern and central parts of Scotland we're looking at gusts of 65mph to 75mph in exposed places.

"It's going to be windy in Wales and much of England, with many places seeing gusts of 50mph.

“The strongest winds will be overnight and into tomorrow morning before they subside in into the afternoon."

Mr Payne also forecast "heavy and persistent" rain in the north of the country, which will move south overnight.

The Met Office issued "yellow" warnings of rain for much of Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, north-west England and Yorkshire and Humber from 9am.

A top wind speed was recorded yesterday of 106mph at Great Dun Fell in the Cumbrian north Pennines, according to Meteogroup.

Meanwhile the Met Office recorded a top wind speed of 102mph in Edinburgh.