Barra school pupils sent home as gales hit islands

Pupils on Barra have been sent home today as wild winds battered the islands.

Parents were contacted to collect their children with schools shutting at lunchtime as the weather worsened.

Extreme gusts, storm force winds and heavy rain are expected in the area later.

Rough seas and a heavy swell whipped up by the strong south easterly winds resulted in numerous ferry cancellations along the west coast.