Storm Ali - LIVE: Two dead and 'major incident' declared as winds of up to 100mph batter UK and Ireland

Northern England is also taking a battering from Storm Ali with traffic disruption, power cuts and fallen trees blocking roads from Merseyside to Cumbria.

The Met Office put in place a number of Amber and Yellow warnings for Cumbria, warning people to secure garden furniture, be aware of flying debris and take extra care on the roads.

Highways England has issued a severe weather alert for north-west and north-east England.

A fallen tree blocked a major junction in the Aintree area of Liverpool, with motorists advised to avoid the area.

The A66 in Cumbria has been closed in both directions between the M6 and A1M due to high winds, and the A628 Woodhead Pass between Manchester and Sheffield has been closed to high sided vehicles.

Some school pupils in Scotland have been banned from walking home due to safety fears. 

Some children had already been injured by flying debris, Dumfries and Galloway Virtual Operations Support Team (VOST) said.

Pupils will have to wait to be collected in a vehicle or until after the severe weather subsides before leaving schools, it said.

Storm Ali is also hitting air travel by forcing flights to divert.

Ruth Corey, who was flying from London Stansted to Belfast, was aboard a plane that had to fly to Liverpool instead.

She told The Independent: "It was scary circling Belfast with the plane bouncing like a wee toy. I said a prayer!"

A member of the public struggles in the wind as he goes for a run as Storm Ali hits land on 19 September in Saltcoats, Scotland (Getty) 

The Met Office warns that inclement weather will also hit southern areas tomorrow...

...and provides a useful graphic to explain what is causing it:

Wind gusts have reached 102mph in some areas of Scotland, according to local media.

Northern Ireland's department of infrastructure says its teams are "working hard" to clear more than 60 roads closed by debris amid Storm Ali.

Pupils and teachers are being forced to stay late at schools in Dumfries and Galloway, where a major incident has been declared.

Children have been banned from walking home after several people were injured by flying debris, while all school buses have been delayed until 5pm at the earliest.

Parents have been asked to delay collecting their children by car until winds have died down, with staff staying late at schools to supervise pupils.

This picture tweeted by the region's emergency support team gives you an idea of how treacherous the region's roads have been today:

Some school pupils in Marske-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire, will at least be grateful for Storm Ali.

Outwood Academy Bydales has announced all detentions tonight have been cancelled due to torrential rain.