A yellow weather warning is in place as East Anglia braces itself for the arrival of Storm Gareth which is expected to batteri the region with wind speeds of up to 60mph.

The Atlantic storm is slowly moving across the UK, hitting the east this morning, bringing strong winds throughout the day and potentially forcing the Orwell Bridge to close.

Highways England will closely monitor wind speeds today in case it needs to order the closure of the Orwell Bridge.

Officials at Ipswich Borough Council will be meeting early this morning to appraise the situation as its develops.

In the event of the closoure of the Orwell Bridge, there will be widespread congestion as traffic is diverted through Ipswich.

The borough council has already issued a warning to Ipswich residents to keep away from wooded areas as the Storm strikes.

A decision on whether to open or close the town’s major parks will also be taken early on. However, some open spaces cannot be locked and a warning is going out to keep away from wooded areas in the expected high winds.

Any update on the closure of the bridge will be announced on our website as we receive the news.