Gales, combined with heavy rain, could cause significant disruption in Ireland, England and Scotland

A severe weather warning covering northern Ireland, England and Scotland has been issued by the Met Office, with forecasts saying Britain will be lashed by the tail of Hurricane Katia, causing gale-force winds of up to 80mph late on Sunday and Monday.

The gales, combined with heavy rain, could cause "significant disruption" for Monday morning commuters and, where high winds coincide with high tides along western coasts, there could be flooding.

Although the winds will not be hurricane force by the time Katia – rated a category four hurricane at its peak – reaches the UK, the Met Office chief forecaster, Eddie Carroll, urged people to keep up to date with forecast warnings.

He added: "There's still a fair amount of uncertainty about the track and strength of the winds."