Cumbria County Council says its highways teams are working 'flat out' to clear fallen tress and debris from roads across the county after a lashing from Storm Ali.

The hardest-hit areas through the day have been Carlisle and along the west coast, the council says.

It has revealed its teams have been dealing with 37 incidents in Carlisle and 20 separate locations were affected across Allerdale, including two road closures due to fallen trees.

There were a further 20 incidents in Eden, and another two road closures in Barrow and some 15 incidents being dealt with across the South Lakes area, the council added.

Officials are now keeping an eye on what will happen tomorrow, when a new weather front moves in.

With a yellow weather warning for rain in place for Cumbria on Thursday morning, people are being advised to avoid making non-essential journeys during the current severe weather conditions.

The council advises that if you do need to travel, drive with extreme caution and allow extra time for your journey.

The fresh warning comes as Storm Ali has been battering Cumbria, with thousands of homes left without power and trees blown over across the county.

Gusts of 96mph have already been recorded and Cumbria Police are warning the public to take precautions.

The Met Office issued an amber weather warning yesterday - the second highest alert level - meaning there is potential "risk to life and property" due to wind.

The wind has caused some problems on the transport network.

It came into force from 8am and is due to cease at 6pm. The amber warning area was for the northern coast of Cumbria, north Carlisle and the Scottish border. It was this morning extended to include Brampton and the Eden Valley.

The rest of Cumbria - as well as other parts of the north west, north east and Scotland - are subject to a yellow wind warning. It is in place from 6am to 10pm.

Gusts of 106mph have been recorded at Great Dun Fell, east of Penrith.

A spokesman for Cumbria Police said most of the problems caused by the weather appear to be in the north and west of the county, with reports of a number of falling trees causing hazards.

Superintendent Mark Pannone said: “We are getting a high number of calls about disruption, with trees down on some roads.

“We would urge people to be aware of their surroundings and take care.

“We would ask drivers to leave themselves plenty of time for travelling and to monitor local radio and websites for any travel information.

“Our advice to drivers is to slow down and to drive to the conditions you face.”

Incidents reported so far include:

*Fallen trees in Queensway, Carlisle;

*A tree down in Scaw Road, High Harrington;

*A fallen tree in Southey Street, Keswick;

*A tree has fallen at Low Moresby, completely blocking the road;

*Fallen trees on Queensway and Wigton Road in Carlisle;

*A tree has fallen against a house in Warwick Square, Carlisle;

*A fallen tree at PArklands village, off Cumwhinton Road, Carlisle;

*A fallen tree on Lowca Lane and Hunters Drive's Park in Seaton;

*A fallen tree on Lingla Bank, Frizington;

*A fallen tree on an unlisted road between Askham and Yanwath;

*A fallen tree on and in Cockermouth on the Greenway near the Cemetery.

Whitehaven's Solway Hall also took to Facebook to warn people of trees being blown down.

The post said: "Please take care outside the library on Lowther Street as the wind is blowing trees down."

Thousands of properties have been left without power. The largest affected areas include 770 affected buildings at Moresby Parks, near Whitehaven; 673 homes between Aspatria and Plumbland; 169 in Carleton, Carlisle; and 485 near Abbeytown.

For all the latest details on power cuts, click here .

A Met Office spokesman said: "Storm Ali will bring a spell of very strong winds to Northern Ireland from this morning, before these strong winds spread to far north west England and central and southern Scotland by late morning.

"Strong winds will be accompanied by heavy squally showers.

"Some areas, especially high ground and coastal regions, including within the central belt, could see gusts of 80mph at times. Winds will ease from the west through the afternoon."

Met Office experts say injury and danger to life could be caused by flying debris and there will "probably" be damage to buildings, such as tiles blown off roofs.

Commuters should also be be prepared to face longer journey times as rail and bus services could be affected by the conditions.

"Power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage," the spokesman added.

"Some roads and bridges are likely to close and large waves could affect coastal roads, sea fronts and properties."

Road users in Cumbria and the rest of the north of England are being advised to check before travelling on the roads.

The unsettled weather is due to last right through the week, the Met Office say, but an improvement is expected early next week as drier weather is set to take hold.

An Allerdale Council spokesperson said: "Now's the time to make sure you're prepared for possible stormy weather. Check your flood gates are operational and you have things you may need to hand."