Wind turbine EXPLODES as the worst storm for 15 years batters Northern Britain with hurricane-force gusts of up to 165mph

Hurricane force winds of up to 165mph swept across Scotland today as storms battered Britain and police told people to stay indoors for their own safety.

Weather forecasters said the gusts were recorded at the Cairngorms between 2pm and 3pm today - just short of the all time record. Wind speeds of 173mph were recorded on the same Scottish mountains on March 20, 1986.

In England, wind speeds of up to 107mph were recorded at Great Dun Fell in the Pennines today while Manchester was hit by 67mph blasts.

The winds were so strong that a 100metre tall wind turbine spectacularly caught fire at Ardrossan in North Ayrshire, while pilots landing at Scottish airports had to battle to get their planes down safely in the treacherous conditions.     Full Read