UK households told to lock all their doors and windows by 3pm

Households across the UK, including England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, are being urged to batten down the hatches as Storm Amy prepares to batter the nation.

The Met Office has ramped up its yellow weather warning to a more severe amber alert for parts of the country, while also expanding the existing yellow warning to cover an even larger area. The weather experts have issued advice to households which includes firmly shutting windows.

They're predicting that winds could reach a whopping 100mph in some parts of the UK on Saturday, while other areas will have to contend with gusts of 60-80mph.

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One of the amber warnings is in place for much of Northern Ireland from 3pm to 8pm today (Friday, October 3). Another amber alert covers most of the north and west of Scotland from 5pm to 11.59pm today, reports the Express. Then a third amber warning is set for a smaller area of northern Scotland from midnight until 9pm tomorrow (Saturday, October 4).

Today's yellow warnings, some for wind and others for rain, cover much of northern England, all of Scotland and Northern Ireland and the north and north-west of Wales. Tomorrow then sees yellow warnings in place for the whole of the United Kingdom before one final yellow warning on Sunday for the very far north-east of Scotland.

The Met Office has issued a stark warning on how to stay safe during a storm, stating: "Between 1962 and 1995, 184 deaths alone were caused by building failures resulting from wind. The majority of damage reports come from domestic dwellings. The average cost of damage each year is at least £300 million."

"Close and securely fasten doors and windows, particularly those on the windward side of the house, and especially large doors such as those on garages."

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They added: "Secure loose objects such as ladders, garden furniture or anything else that could be blown into windows and other glazing and break them. Park vehicles in a garage, if available; otherwise keep them clear of buildings, trees, walls and fences."

"Close and secure loft trapdoors with bolts, particularly if the roof pitch is less than 30°. If chimney stacks are tall and in poor condition, move beds away from areas directly below them."

In its amber warning, the Met Office cautioned: "Storm Amy will bring a spell of damaging winds, initially in western areas during Friday evening before gradually transferring north-eastwards through the night. During this period, wind gusts of 60-70 mph are likely fairly widely, with 70-80 mph in more exposed areas, and may reach 100 mph in some exposed parts of western Scotland, particularly around Tiree, western Lochaber and Skye for a time this evening. This will lead to dangerous conditions with travel and power disruption."