STRONG winds and heavy rain have battered the town today as Storm Georgina swept her way through the region.

Storm Georgina, the seventh named storm of the year, has made her way across the country since Tuesday evening.

There were a number of cases of flooding around the town, including the entrance to Coate Water Country Park, which was blocked by a large puddle.

Gusts up to 85mph were recorded in western Scotland and wind speeds were expected to continue to increase through the day on the east coast of Scotland. Closer to home, a narrow band of heavy rain and squally winds has also resulted in gusts in the 50 to 60mph range, with reports of fallen trees in some counties.

Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office Frank Saunders said: “Storm Georgina has developed rapidly over the last 24 hours and is bringing strong winds to the UK, especially in the north. Our national severe weather warning for wind is in force through the day today and we encourage people to keep up to date with the forecast in their area. It will also be a windy day outside of the warning area with a spell of gusty winds moving across other parts of the UK.”

Thursday will see a mixture of sunny spells and showers, these are likely to be heavy at times. However, some places will stay dry throughout. Cooler. Maximum temperature 10 °C.

"After a frosty start, it'll be mainly dry and bright on Friday," a Met Office forecaster said. "Turning milder over the weekend. Rain moving east on Saturday. Drier on Sunday but cloudy. Breezy at times."