COUNTY residents are being urged to 'batten down the hatches' as strong windows hit Worcestershire.

The Met Office has put out a yellow, be aware warning for wind this evening, with the forecast for an an increasingly windy night with wind speed reaching 50mph after midnight before easing tomorrow morning.

The warning, which comes into force from 10pm and runs until 9am tomorrow, says "Very strong winds on Wednesday night across some southern and central parts of the UK.

"Some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are likely, including for high-sided vehicles crossing bridges.

"Some short term loss of power and other services is possible. Delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges likely."

Another similar warning for wind, again expected to be around 50mph and which could cause travel disruption, comes into force from noon on Friday, running until 6pm on February 9.

The general forecast for the next few days is dry with some sunshine, with temperatures around 10C. Some light rain is expected on Friday.