SEVERE gales look set to wreak havoc over York and North Yorkshire tonight and tomorrow, with weathermen warning buildings could be damaged and trees could  be brought down.

A powerful Atlantic depression dubbed Storm Desmond could bring gusts as strong as 70 mph even at lower levels tomorrow, with hills seeing even stronger gusts in storm force south-westerlies.

The Met Office, which has issued a 'yellow' weather warning indicating people should be aware of the risks, says the worst conditions seem likely to be during tomorrow afternoon and evening across parts of the north.

There will also be heavy rain over the Yorkshire Dales, which could cause further flooding problems further down the River Ouse in York later in the weekend and early next week. However, York itself is expected to remain largely dry over the weekend, with some sunshine on Sunday.

Weather forecasters say travellers should be aware of the likelihood of disruption on roads and ferry routes, with winds possibly strong enough top damage buildings and other structures.

Northern Powergrid, which is responsible for delivering electricity to homes and businesses across the region, says it is prepared for the bad weather, which will be caused by a powerful Atlantic depression crossing northern Britain.

It said it is closely monitoring the weather and has extra emergency engineers prepared to restore power and repair any damage.

The company also has additional advisors at its local 24 hour contact centre, ready to offer customers support and advice.

Further heavy rain, strong winds or gales are expected on Monday and at first on Tuesday before brighter and colder weather arrives later on Tuesday