Edinburgh Castle and St Andrew Square garden CLOSED due to high winds

Storm Ciara brought wintry conditions to Edinburgh a few days ago. Pic: Lisa Ferguson

Two prominent Edinburgh locations - Edinburgh Castle and St Andrew Square garden - have been closed to the public this afternoon due to high winds in the city.

At about 11:20am the Edinburgh Castle official twitter account said: "Morning all! The wind is very strong at the castle and we have had to close. We will keep you updated using #HSclosure with further information."

They later added that the castle could be closed Saturday, Sunday and Monday as Storm Dennis arrives in the Capital.

And Essential Edinburgh, the Central Business Improvement District, said: "Due to the high winds we've closed St Andrew Sq Garden #Edinburgh.

"Hopefully we can re-open around 3pm today, but it will depend on the wind speed."

According to the Met Office, wind gusts of more than 45mph are currently hitting the Capital.

It comes ahead of the arrival of Storm Dennis on Saturday morning which is forecast to bring even stronger winds.

Yellow 'be aware' weather warnings are in place for rain and wind in the Capital this weekend and on Monday.

And Met Office spokesman, Oli Claydon, told the Evening News that travel disruption can be expected on the roads and railways.

Heavy rain is forecast in Edinburgh on Saturday, with wind speeds of up to 70mph possible in more exposed areas in the region on Sunday.