THE National Trust’s Lanhydrock House and estate will be completely closed tomorrow as staff batten down the hatches for Storm Arwen.

Checks will be carried out at the property on Sunday, says the National Trust, to see if it’s safe to open to the public.

The Met Office has issued a Yellow weather warning for wind which is in place from 4pm today and through tomorrow. Temperatures are forecast to drop and will feel like minus 3 or 4 in the wind later this evening in South East Cornwall – but this part of the UK looks set to avoid the worst of the storm. In parts of the north of England and Scotland gusts of up to 100mph are forecast and a red wind warning (danger to life) has been issued.National Highways is advising drivers to take extra care on the roads and be prepared as Storm Arwen brings very strong winds across large parts of the South West tonight and into Saturday morning. Winds are expected to strengthen from the north during tonight, with gusts up to 70mph on higher ground, particularly on the A30 around Bodmin in Cornwall, and other higher-ground areas in Devon, from midnight through to 9am tomorrow. Following a Met Office Amber alert for strong winds, National Highways advises motorists – particularly those driving high-sided HGVs, motor homes and motorcycles, and those towing caravans and trailers – to check the weather and driving conditions before setting out on journeys and pay particular attention to exposed locations such as coastal and high lying areas and bridges which could be affected by the high winds. National Highways forecasters expect the winds to slowly ease during Saturday morning.John Ingram, South West Emergency Planning Officer for National Highways, said: “We’re encouraging drivers to check the latest weather and travel conditions before setting off on journeys and consider if their journey is necessary and can be delayed until conditions improve. If you do intend to travel, then plan your journey and take extra care, allowing more time for your journey. “In high winds, there’s a particular risk to lorries, caravans and motorbikes so we’d advise drivers of these vehicles to slow down and drive to the conditions. “Drivers of other vehicles should be aware of sudden gusts of wind which can affect handling and braking, and give high-sided vehicles, caravans, and motorbikes plenty of space.”