Thousands of homes have been left without power as Storm Eleanor hit Britain with winds of up to 80mph - and forecasters are warning of more problems throughout Wednesday today.

The Met Office has warned lives could be at risk from flying debris as the fifth-named storm of the season arrived on Tuesday evening.

An amber weather warning was issued for southern parts of Northern Ireland and northern England as well as southern fringes of Scotland overnight.

A yellow weather warning remains in place for all of England and Wales today.

A 50mph speed limit is in place over the Thelwall Viaduct on the M6 and there is a 30mph speed limit on the Woodhead Pass over the Pennines.

Around 22,000 houses in Northern Ireland and scores more in England were affected by power cuts.

Northern Ireland Electricity Networks said it restored supply to 10,000 properties but another 12,000 would be without power overnight.

A spokesman said: "It's very difficult to make repairs because we have to think about the safety of our employees, most repairs will start at first light."

A number of roads were closed due to fallen trees and motorists were warned to avoid all but essential travel.

In England nearly 2,000 homes were hit by power cuts in the Midlands, as well as around 700 in the South West and 460 in Wales.

The Environment Agency issued 65 flood warnings and dozens of alerts across the country.

The Dartford Crossing bridge was closed overnight on Tuesday due to the dangerous wind speeds and is due to reopen in time for morning rush hour.

Vince Crane, of the AA, advised drivers to take extra care in the worsening conditions.

He said: "Road conditions can quickly deteriorate during very heavy rainfall, with drains becoming swamped or blocked and standing water causing surface spray, reduced visibility and potentially leading to flooding.

"Drivers will need to take extra care and expect delays, even on motorways.

"Strong or sudden gusts of wind are more likely on open stretches of road, when passing bridges or gaps in hedges, or when overtaking high-sided vehicles."

A yellow weather warning covering Wales, England, most of Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland was in place overnight to Wednesday.

There will be a risk of "injuries and danger to life" from flying debris and large waves along the western coast, the Met Office said.

The weather warning for Wednesday says: "Storm Eleanor to bring very strong winds later Tuesday, continuing overnight and on Wednesday. The warning has been adjusted to bring the northern boundary southwards, and to combine with the warning previously in force for Wednesday.

"Public transport may be disrupted or canceled and some bridges are likely to be closed. Power cuts and disruption to other services (mobile phones for example) may also occur, while injuries from flying debris are possible.

"Combined with a period of high tides, it is likely that some western coastal communities will be affected by large waves and spray, and again there is a chance that injuries and danger to life could occur from large waves, or beach material being thrown on to seafronts and coastal properties."

Meteorologist Emma Sharples said: "There is likely to be some disruption possibly to public transport, bridges and other public services such as mobile phones and people need to be aware that there could be debris as well."

In Wales, people have been advised to keep a safe distance from the sea as Natural Resources Wales (NRW) issued a series of flood warnings for the south-east, south-west and north coasts.

Ceri Jones, from NRW, said: "Large waves could overtop defences and throw up debris - this could easily cause injury or knock you off your feet."

Pembrokeshire County Council also issued a warning for several areas, including Amroth and Newgale, where overtopping waves could cause disruption.

Some of the road problems caused by Storm Eleanor