AREAS OF Britain that escaped the worst of the storms earlier this week woke up to a battering today.

Motorists were warned to take extra care on the roads after winds gusting at up to 85mph struck Northern Ireland, North Wales, and north-west England overnight.

The westerly storm front sweeping in from the North Atlantic also brought snow to high ground in northern England and southern Scotland.

The Highways Agency said high ground could experience "temporary blizzard conditions" this morning.

The Met Office has issued a severe gale warning for most of the country, and says disruption to transport and power supplies is possible.

The strongest winds today will be in parts of north-west, north-east and eastern England, although the heavy rain will clear to leave scattered showers, forecasters predicted.

The Highways Agency was reminding drivers in the north-west, particularly those of high-sided vehicles, to take note of the weather forecasts from the Met Office, which showed gusts of up to 80 miles per hour in exposed coastal areas and sections of road in the north-west of England.

An Amber Alert was put in place in the north-west for lorry drivers, who were urged to closely monitor the weather and road conditions, listen out for updates on traffic and travel radio bulletins and to plan their journeys before setting off.

Derek Turner, Highways Agency director of traffic operations, said: "I strongly advise road users to check the latest information on weather and road conditions before starting their journeys.

"Drivers should ensure that their vehicles are topped up with fuel, in case of delays."

The Environment Agency had one severe flood warning, 15 flood warnings and 31 less urgent flood watches in place last night.

The new storm, which is expected to die down throughout the day, is likely to cause further damage to power and transport links and leave insurers facing a second round of claims for damage to property.

Parts of the south coast are continuing to assess the damage done when winds of up to 95mph roared in from the Atlantic early on Monday.

The worst affected areas were the West Country and South Wales.

Houses were flooded in Fishguard and Cardigan in Wales, while in Cornwall more than 30 properties were hit by wind-driven high tides in Looe, Fowey, Mevagissey and Flushing.

Monday's storms left thousands of homes without power. Some 30 people had to be rescued from a caravan park in Selsey, West Sussex, which flooded after waves came crashing over the sea defences.

Short-haul flights from Heathrow and Gatwick were affected, and roads and rail connections disrupted.

Cheltenham Racecourse opened its gates to tens of thousands of racing fans yesterday despite fears the bad weather would cause this year's Gold Cup festival to fall at the first hurdle.

Meanwhile, EU disaster aid of £124 million to help UK regions hit by last summer's floods was approved by MEPs in Strasbourg yesterday.

The Association of British Insurers welcomed the assistance, but said it should not divert the Government from introducing a long-term flood management plan.