People across the UK are being warned of high winds and storms with the Met Office warning  it “will get worse before it gets better”.

As newly named Storm Evert gathers pace, winds of up to 75mph are expected to lash the South West, with coastal gales and rain set to affect parts of the country.

The storm will move across parts of the UK, giving a “wet and windy start” to Friday for the southern and central regions, the Met Office said.

Weather warning in place

An amber weather warning has been issued for south-west England.

The Met Office said Storm Evert will bring strong winds to the region, potentially causing damage to infrastructure and leading to travel disruption.

This could include damage to buildings, fallen trees and a “good chance” that power cuts could occur, which could affect other services such as mobile phone coverage.

The warning, which is currently in place until Friday morning, also says large waves, flying debris and beach material being thrown on to roads and seafronts could lead to injuries or “danger to life”.

What the Met Office said

Steven Keates, a meteorologist from the Met Office said: “The wind will get worse before it gets better.

“The highest gust of wind is on the Isles of Scilly, which is 45 knots or 52mph.

“There is the potential for 60mph in coastal areas of west Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

“There is the chance of seeing something a little stronger than that from midnight to 3am, where as per the amber warning, there is the chance of seeing gusts of up to 75mph in one or two very exposed coastal spots, mainly in Cornwall.”

Heavy rain hits parts of UK

On social media on Thursday night, people were sharing videos of heavy rain and large waves as the storm began.

Flooding and stormy weather has led to disruption in some parts of the country.

Cumbria County Council said 14 properties have been evacuated and some roads and footpaths have been closed due to a landslip in Parton, west Cumbria.

The Environment Agency has six flood alerts for areas including parts of south London and an area on the Isle of Wight.

The naming of Storm Evert comes on the day the Government announced that more than £860 million is to be invested in flood prevention schemes across the UK over the next year.

Evert is the first storm to be named in the month of July by the Met Office’s storm naming group, although named summer storms are not unprecedented.

In 2020, Storm Ellen hit from August 19 to 20, before Storm Francis moved over the UK on August 25.