Storm Brendan: Ferries and flights cancelled amid 90mph winds

Dozens of ferries cancelled; grounded flights include BA’s flagship London-New York service

The working week is beginning with widespread travel disruption – which is likely to get worse before it gets better.

The Met Office has warned of “a widely very windy period expected Monday, with some disruption to travel likely”.

Storm Brendan is sweeping in from the west. Severe gales, gusting at up to 90mph, are expected to affect the island of Ireland and the western half of Great Britain – from Scilly to Shetland.

UK forecasters predict “some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport”.

Caledonian MacBrayne has cancelled many ferries on Monday, including services to and from Barra, Coll, Harris, Islay, Tiree and North and South Uist.

On other routes, passengers are warned: “Due to forecast adverse weather, sailings will be liable to disruption or cancellation at short notice.”

The Scottish airline Loganair has offered passengers booked on many routes on Monday the chance to switch to any date in the coming week without charge.

The airline said: “There will be no change fee or difference in fare payable. If there is a seat available on an earlier or later flight, you can transfer your booking to that flight without charge on a first-come, first-served basis.

“If you choose to remain with your original travel plans, please rest assured that we will do everything that we safely can to fly you to your intended destination as close to the scheduled time as possible.”

The Met Office warning expires at midnight on Monday but a second has now been issued for all of England and Wales from noon to midnight on Tuesday.

The Irish weather agency, Met Eireann, said: “Southerly winds will reach storm force during Monday on all Irish coastal waters and on the Irish Sea, with violent storm force winds expected at times on western coasts between Mizen Head and Malin Head.

“There will be significant risk of coastal flooding due to a combination of onshore winds, spring tides and storm surge.”

Irish Ferries has cancelled all four ferries between Pembroke and Rosslare on Monday and says most sailings on Tuesday are either cancelled or “in doubt”.

The worst-affected airport at present is Shannon in the west of Ireland. Some Aer Lingus flights to and from Birmingham, Edinburgh and Heathrow have been grounded.

The British Airways flagship service from London to New York, the business-class only flight BA1, has been cancelled; it normally refuels at Shannon en route to JFK.