As the nation prepares for the big Christmas getaway, travellers in the Midlands have been warned by the Met Office that strong winds and rain are likely to cause disruption. The yellow weather warning predicts gusts of 50-60mph (80km/h-95km/h) across the region on Sunday along with the heavy rain, between midnight and 21:00 GMT.

Britons hoping for a white Christmas are set to be sorely disappointed with a mild and grey 25 December, forecasters have predicted.For the Met Office to declare a white Christmas, a single snowflake has to be observed falling in the 24 hours of Christmas Day anywhere in the UK.

Yellow warnings for wind are in place for great swathes of the country, as people living near coastal regions are told to be careful of rogue waves caused by the weather