The hurricane is expected to hit the west of the UK (National Hurricane Centre)

Britain is set to be lashed by rain and winds of up to 70mph as the tail end of Hurricane Ophelia barrels east across the Atlantic, forecasters are warning.

The tropical storm has been upgraded to a hurricane and the US National Hurricane Centre has said it could get stronger over the coming days.

The west of the country can expect to see the worst of any disruption, with gale-force winds expected to hit by Sunday or early next week.

It comes on the 30th anniversary of the Great Storm of 1987, which left 18 people dead and caused £1bn worth of damage. Weather forecaster Michael Fish infamously told viewers ahead of the storm not to worry.

You can watch Hurricane Ophelia’s progression below.