Storm Ciara: Ayrshire battered by rain and wind as flood alert remains in place

Ayrshire felt the full force of Storm Ciara earlier today.

The weather front brought torrential rain to the region and gusts of up to 80mph.

But the most dramatic scenes unfolded on the area's coastline.

Video footage from Saltcoats shows huge waves crashing against the flood defences which travel several feet up in the air and onto the railway line.

The incredible pictures emerged as a number of rail providers urged customers not to travel on their services earlier today due to the challenging conditions.

A Met Office yellow warning for wind is in place until late this evening.

And a flood alert still remains in place for Ayrshire and Arran, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has said.

Video: Weather forecast Scotland - The outlook for Monday from the Met Office

The Scottish Government has urged people to take care while travelling during the adverse weather conditions.

Cabinet secretary for transport, infrastructure and connectivity Michael Matheson said: "The Met Office is telling us that we are facing a prolonged period of adverse weather, with Storm Ciara bringing strong winds and rain to most of Scotland this weekend.

"We’re also being told to expect snow and high winds throughout Monday and on Tuesday morning, so there is the potential for significant disruption on the trunk road network, as well as other modes of transport.

Travel disruption is expected throughout Sunday due to Storm Ciara (Getty Images)

"It’s important that people check the latest information before they set off, drive to the conditions and follow Police Scotland travel advice. The Traffic Scotland service gives details of ‘wind-based’ closures for the bridges on trunk road network, allowing people to plan ahead accordingly.

"Motorists should check Traffic Scotland before they set off to make sure that their route is available. The Traffic Scotland mobile website – my.trafficscotland.org – lets people get the latest information on the move and Traffic Scotland twitter page is updated regularly.

"The conditions are also likely to lead to disruption on other modes of transport, so we are urging people to take the weather into account if they are planning to travel on trains, ferries and flights."