STRONG winds are forecast to be sweeping across coastal areas in Hampshire today.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning as gusts of up to 60mph are causing travel chaos.

The conditions have meant that Hovertravel suspend its services from the Isle of Wight due to the windy conditions, while a tree fell on to a busy Hampshire road as the A337 northbound after Brockishill Road was blocked this morning.

The weather warning which is valid until 7pm tonight states that the winds are caused by a 'rather deep and complex' area of low pressure.

Met Office meteorologist Charles Powell said the conditions were unusual for southern Britain in May.

"We normally expect the weather to settle down as we get into summer," he said. "We might expect these winds in the north but for it to be across the far south of the UK is a little bit unusual at this time of the year.

"We're looking at around 50-60mph gusts in exposed areas. Inland we'll still see strong winds but probably not quite up to those figures.

"It is relatively late in the season to see that kind of wind speed."

A statement by the Met Office's chief forecaster said: "The public should be aware that these gusts may cause minor damage to trees and make travel tricky for the likes of towing vehicles."