In pictures: Storm Eoywn’s 100mph winds cause disruption and destruction

Motorists were warned against making unnecessary journeys - and many rail services, flights and ferry services have been cancelled.

A lorry on its side, the windscreen is smashed, with an ambulance in front and a queue of traffic behind

An ambulance attends the scene of a crash during strong winds on the A19 in County Durham (Owen Humphreys/PA)

A roof blown off during strong winds rests on some bungalows in Amble, Northumberland (Owen Humphreys/PA)

A fallen bin in the road and a bus reading 'not in service' drives around it

A bus drives around a bin that has fallen in the road, as drivers have been urged to avoid journeys unless necessary (Jane Barlow/PA)

Barriers blown down in Hope Terrace, Edinburgh (Jane Barlow/PA)

A firefighter in hi-vis stands in the middle of the road. Behind him a wall of scaffolding has collapsed into the road

In Dublin, collapsed scaffolding blocked Harold's Cross Road after being downed by winds (Dublin Fire Brigade/PA)

Homes were left without power after the storm caused widespread damage to electricity networks, and hundreds of schools and nurseries closed their doors.

A telegraph pole is on its side covering the road

Residents were warned to prepare for power cuts, with the weather causing damage to power lines (Jonathan McCambridge/PA)

A tree has uprooted, the road is broken around its base, and fallen into a hedge

The top-level red warning for wind is in place, with gusts causing damage across the UK and Ireland - including this tree in east Belfast (David Young/PA)

Residents across Ireland have been urged to stay at home as the entire island braces for the arrival of Storm Eowyn (David Young/PA)

Red and amber warnings are in place for much of the country until Friday evening, with winds of 100mph expected in coastal areas and gusts of up to 90mph expected inland.

A couple hold an umbrella that has blown inside out

A couple battle with an umbrella in the wind during Storm Eowyn on Princes Street, Edinburgh (Jane Barlow/PA)

A fallen tree is picked up by a yellow JCB

A farmer moves a fallen tree on a farm path in Bramhall, Cheshire (Abigail Kemp/PA)

A member of the public looks on at a structure that is missing its roof

An ice skating facility in Blanchardstown has been destroyed after strong winds tore the structure apart (Brian Lawless/PA)

A man in an orange hi-vis vest and white hard hat uses a chainsaw to cut up the trunk of a huge fir tree blocking a road

Tree surgeons were dispatched to cut and remove a fallen tree that was blocking a road in Liverpool. (Peter Byrne/PA)