A RED weather warning is in place for parts of Fife and Police Scotland have said motorists in those areas should not travel "under any circumstances".

Drivers in the rest of the Kingdom have been advised to stay home too while rail services are also set to be disrupted, delayed or cancelled with Storm Arwen expected to bring high winds and gusts of up to 90mph.

Red weather warnings, in place from 3pm today until 2am tomorrow, were declared by the Met Office for all coastal areas within Fife, Angus, Dundee, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, East Lothian and the Scottish Borders.

Superintendent Simon Bradshaw, from Police Scotland’s road policing unit, said: “The high-winds being experienced along the coastal areas of the north, east and southern parts of Scotland have led to red weather warnings coming into effect and as such, any motorist within these affected regions should not travel under any circumstances.

“If you are currently within more in-land areas of these regions, then amber and yellow warnings are also in place and we are asking that you do not journey out unless for essential purposes and if you are doing so, to be mindful of the challenging conditions you will face.

“A number of local road closures and bridge restrictions may also be implemented during this period of adverse weather and we would advise the public to consult the Transport Scotland and Met Office websites for continuous and updated information."

Members of the public in the worst-hit areas may face numerous hazards such as flying debris, downed trees and power lines and high tides.

Motorists should not drive during the red weather warning and other members of the public are also advised not to travel.

A number of yellow and amber weather warnings continue to be in place within the previously mentioned regions and drivers within these locations are urged to take due care and travel only if absolutely essential.

Minister for Transport, Graeme Dey, said: “There is significant potential for disruption on the roads, especially on bridges, and people should check the latest information before making any decision to travel.

"They should also follow Police Scotland warnings to avoid travel in those areas impacted by the red warning.

“The conditions are also likely to lead to disruption on other modes of transport, so we are urging people to take the weather into account if they are planning to travel on trains, ferries and flights.”

Network Rail said storm conditions are set to affect passengers and rail services on Scotland’s east coast with speed restrictions to be introduced for safety reasons – the wind can blow trees and other debris onto tracks and damage overhead power lines – and some lines will be closed.

The speed restrictions will affect services travelling between Edinburgh and Aberdeen while the east coast mainline, and North Berwick branch lines, will be closed to trains from 5pm until end of service today.

The west coast mainline will remain open for cross-border travel.

Passengers should allow extra time for their journeys and those travelling south on the east coast mainline should postpone their journeys and check with their train operator about plans over the weekend.

Alex Hynes, managing director of Scotland’s Railway, said: “Safety of our customers and colleagues has to be our first consideration during severe weather.

"The Met Office has issued a rare red weather warning. We are monitoring the conditions very closely and will have teams in place across the country to react quickly to any damage caused by the weather.

“Where conditions are predicted to be most severe, we are withdrawing a small number of services in the interests of passenger safety until the worst of the storms have passed.”

For more information on the changes to services, check www.nationalrail.co.uk or with your train operator.