Christmas travel chaos fears after weather warning MILLIONS of people on the move for the great Christmas getaway have been warned to prepare for major disruption, as the UK braces for severe gales and heavy rainfall, which could bring the transport network to its knees. The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning from this morning, with the threat of gusts of up to 90mph and flooding in pockets of the UK, as many people head to friends or family for Christmas. Motorists have been warned to expect delays, particularly those heading to northern and western parts of Scotland and to south-west England, while train operators and bus firms have made contingency plans. Drivers have also been advised to watch out for potential restrictions on road bridges, and road closures as a result of falling debris, including trees. Many train operators allowed passengers to use date-restricted tickets early, in an effort to dissuade them from travelling when the weather problems are expected to be at their height and 50mph speed restrictions are likely. As the pre-Christmas rush began in earnest yesterday, a number of roads in Scotland were blocked by heavy snow. Residents in Jedburgh, in the Borders, were mopping up after several homes and commercial properties were hit by a flash flood that swept through the centre of the town on Saturday night. East Coast trains spokesman Paul Emberley said last night that severe weather conditions were likely to affect the southern half of the network. He said: "As a result of the high winds and heavy rainfall, and the restrictions in place, it is regretted that many East Coast services will be subject to delay and cancellation over the next two days. As a precautionary measure, Network Rail has imposed a 50mph speed restriction for services on the line on Monday afternoon, between London King's Cross and Peterborough, with electrified services restricted to 80mph between Peterborough and York from midday. Services north of York may also be subject to speed restrictions, dependent on local weather conditions. The forecast indicates the severe weather will continue until the early hours of 24 December, and this may have an additional knock-on effect to services on Christmas Eve, while Network Rail carries out safety checks. The company said it was making extensive efforts to reduce the impact of delays, including drafting in extra staff. A spokesman for Virgin Trains also warned delays were likely because of the anticipated high winds. ScotRail said it hoped services would run as normal throughout today. A spokesman for the Rail Delivery Group, which speaks on behalf of the rail industry, said: "Many rail staff will be working throughout the night to monitor the weather and to keep passengers safe and informed." He explained that some operators yesterday lifted restrictions to allow people with tickets for travel today to reach their destinations a day early. Scotland was hit by the worst of the weather yesterday, as the Christmas exodus began across the country. Traffic on the A9, the busy Perth to Inverness road, was disrupted for most of the morning after an articulated Tesco lorry jackknifed at Drumochter in the heavy snow. The road was closed in both directions for almost five hours. Lorries also became stuck in snow at Dalwhinnie. Meanwhile, the approach roads to two of Scotland's main ski centres - the Lecht and Glenshee - were blocked all day. Today, as winds strengthen in Scotland, forecasters have warned of possible restrictions on some main road bridges, the risk of structural damage and disruptions to ferry sailings. They say conditions are set to worsen across Scotland further still on Christmas Eve, with wind speeds reaching up to 120mph - hurricane force - on some mountain ranges. Met Office forecaster Dave Clark, said wintry showers were set to sweep across Scotland today from the west. He said: "On Monday there will be a fine start to the day in Scotland. It will be mainly dry and bright with sunshine, but a band of rain will come in over the Galloway Hills and up the Central Belt during the day, possibly resulting in localised flooding again in the Borders As the band comes north of the Central Belt, it turns more to snow. Away from the east coast, there could be 2cm to 5cm of snow on the higher routes. He continued: "The winds will also start to pick up, with gale force winds expected up the west coast. It could touch severe gale force in a few places in the Western Isles, with the chance of ferry services being disrupted. He said an area of low pressure would bring worse tomorrow. We are looking at gusts reaching 80 to 90mph up across the north of Scotland, probably 60mph gusts in Glasgow and 50mph on the east coast. The strengthening winds on Christmas Eve will be accompanied by frequent snow showers, mainly in the west. The winds will be strong enough to bring down trees. There will, however, be a brief respite on Christmas Day, with forecasters predicting dry but breezy weather. Mr Clark warned of more storms across Scotland by Friday and into the weekend. Northlink Ferries has advised that its sailing from Shetland to Aberdeen, originally scheduled for 5:30pm today, will be brought forward to noon. The operator is also reviewing sailings across the Pentland Firth for tomorrow due to warnings of very high winds. The Met Office issued an "amber" warning for heavy rain for parts of southern England and south Wales for today. A spokesman said: "The public should be prepared for the likelihood of significant disruption due to the hazards of heavy rainfall and high winds." Traffic Scotland also warned of disruption on the roads in the run-up to Christmas. A spokesman said: "Further wintry showers are expected to parts of Highland, Argyll and western central, where there could be 1cm-2cm of snow on the highest routes." Yesterday, a 40mph speed restriction was imposed on the Forth Road Bridge due to high winds. Three people were injured in a single-vehicle crash near Glasgow, after a car hit a tree in Newton Mearns. A spokesman for Automobile Association said: "Clearing skies will allow road temperatures to dip below freezing, which will lead to some icy stretches on Monday." The Environment Agency urged people to stay away from coastal promenades today and tomorrow because of the wet and windy conditions. Darron Burness, head of the AA's flood rescue team, warned motorists of flood risks: "Moving floodwater is powerful, relentless and deceptively dangerous, so just stay out."