Strong winds have been causing power cuts and disruption for travellers in parts of Scotland.

The trouble came as a Met Office yellow "be aware" warning for wind remained in place for the northern part of Scotland, the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland until Tuesday morning.

Police Scotland has urged drivers to take care, with gusts of 65mph to 75mph in the far north and north-east of the country.

On Monday evening, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said around 3000 households had experienced power cuts in Orkney and the north-east of Scotland, in areas such as Elgin and Huntly.

Damage to overhead lines and falling trees were said to be behind the problem.

A spokeswoman said work was being carried out to restore supplies, with the firm hopeful the households will have power restored before midnight.

Emergency services were called to Keithmuir Lane in Drumoak, Aberdeenshire, after a tree plummeted through a car due to high winds.

The two occupants of the BMW X1 were left uninjured following the incident at 6.20pm on Monday.

Also on Monday, the Dornoch Bridge was closed to high-sided vehicles, and there were restrictions on other bridges such as the Tay Road Bridge and Kessock Bridge.

Ferry operator CalMac had to cancel some sailings on routes including the Ardrossan to Brodick service, Ullapool to Stornoway connection and Mallaig/Oban to Lochboisdale route due to the adverse weather conditions.

Some NorthLink services connecting the mainland and the Northern Isles were also affected by the weather.

ScotRail said train services between Inverness and Wick, and Montrose and Aberdeen were having to be cancelled or run at a reduced speed because of the high winds.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency had two flood alerts in place on Monday evening, for Orkney and the Western Isles.

The Met Office warning continues to advise of the likelihood of delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport, as well as some short terms loss of power.

Police told drivers in the north of the country to take care on the roads.

Chief inspector Stewart Mackie, of the road policing division, said: "Police Scotland is advising all drivers to travel with extra caution and ensure you and your vehicle are adequately prepared for the conditions, making sure you have sufficient fuel and supplies such as warm clothing, food and water in the event you are delayed for several hours.

"Charge your mobile phone and plan your route as well as alternative routes.

"If you are driving a vehicle which may be vulnerable to being blown over in such conditions along exposed routes including bridges, please exercise additional caution and plan your route to avoid exposed areas or consider cancelling your journey until conditions improve."

STV Weather presenter Sean Batty warned the winds could lead to some coastal flooding.

He said: "Winds will gust 60-75mph, with the strongest gusts likely to affect the Isle of Lewis, north of the mainland, Orkney, Fair Isle and the far north east coast of Aberdeenshire.

"Later on Monday and into Tuesday the stronger gusts will move across the north east and out into the North Sea.

"Gusts could reach 50-60mph for a time around Peterhead and Fraserburgh, and some strong lee gusts off the Grampians could give particularly strong gusts on the A90 between Brechin and Laurencekirk for a time late evening.

"The new moon occurred on Sunday which means we are entering a period of higher spring tides. This means that some large waves can be expected during high tides which could over-top sea walls along with sea spray.

"Areas most at risk of seeing these large waves are the Outer Hebrides, Orkney and the north Aberdeenshire coast.

"The strong winds will ease into Tuesday with quieter conditions expected through most of the week, although gales may return to the north of the country on Saturday."