Coastal areas in south and southwest England and most of Wales are on alert ahead of a major storm system that has triggered warnings of dangerous conditions and disruption across the UK and Ireland.

In its most recent update, Met Eireann has issued a 'Danger to Life' Status Red warning for parts of the country on Friday morning. The extremely rare weather alert applies to counties Clare, Cork, Kerry and Limerick and is valid between 3am and 10am on Friday.

The Met Office has named a new storm as winds of up to 80mph are expected to hit the UK this weekend. Storm Éowyn is forecast to make landfall in Ireland late on Thursday before moving on to the rest of the UK on Friday according to Met Office models.

A rare, red warning has also been issued by Ireland's weather service across all counties ahead of the arrival of Storm Eowyn, saying it will bring "severe, damaging and destructive gusts".