Photos: 4 injured after plane is blown off runway in high winds

Four passengers were injured yesterday Friday, January 02, 2014 after a plane was blown off the runway amid 80mph winds, as Britain braces itself for days of grey skies and heavy downpours.

The twin-propeller Saab 340 was attempting to take off from Stornoway Airport on the Isle of Lewis just before 8.30am when strong gusts caused it to veer off the tarmac and nose-dive into the grass, sparking a major investigation. 

It came as a deep Atlantic depression whipped Machrihanish, Argyll, with 77mph winds, while gales of 71mph were detected in Edinburgh.

Depsite a wind warning remaining in place for the Shetland Islands - where gales of around 75mph are expected until about 11pm tonight - forecasters say the wind will continue to ease this evening.

But it will still be a weekend of miserable weather for most people, as a band of low pressure sweeps across the UK tomorrow, drenching the southern and central areas with up to 15mm rain.  

A passenger had a miracle escape after the barrier to a car park blew through the window of their Renault Clio in Ellesmere Port