BOLTON escaped the brunt of the gale-force winds which battered northern England.

The giant ferris wheel in Victoria Square was forced to close yesterday and drivers were warned of gusts of up to 80mph by the Met Office and Highways Agency.

Metal fencing was erected around the wheel area and many of the Christmas trees and snowmen surrounding the attraction were blown over. But, despite shoppers enjoying the post-Christmas sales being buffeted by the winds, like the one left, little damage caused by the weather was reported in Bolton.

A Highways Agency amber alert was issued to the North West with motorists urged to be “cautious”, with the strong winds until at least 3pm yesterday.

The Met Office also sent out an amber alert to north Wales and northern England.

In Wales, a 109mph gust of wind was recorded as more than 7,000 homes there were left without power.

More than 50 flood warnings were issued in England, Wales and Scotland as rain fell falling on saturated ground.

Rail services were disrupted and uprooted trees caused road closures around the UK.

Our picture above shows waves hitting the shore at Saltcoats in Scotland where trains where cancelled due to the bad weather.