A weather warning for the northern part of Preston has been upgraded – as Storm Eleanor draws closer.

The Met Office has upgraded its warning of wind from a yellow warning to an amber warning.

Gusts of up to 70mph are expected across Northern England and the amber area now includes the northern edge of the city.

A yellow weather warning remains in force for the remaining area with gusts of 60mph likely.

The Met Office amber warning is in force until the early hours of Wednesday (3 January).

A statement from the weather forecasting service said: “Very strong winds in association with Storm Eleanor will affect southern parts of Northern Ireland on Tuesday evening and then northern England as well as southernmost fringes of Scotland overnight, before clearing into the North Sea early on Wednesday. Flying debris could lead to injuries or danger to life whilst some damage to buildings is likely.

“Some disruption to road, rail and air travel is likely and ferry services may be affected. There is a good chance that power cuts may occur with mobile phone coverage perhaps affected. Along west-facing coasts, injuries and danger to life is likely from large waves and beach material being thrown onto coastal roads, seafronts and properties.”

The yellow warning runs until 6pm on Wednesday.