Heavy rain forecast in the North West as drivers are urged to take extra care

The Met Office amber warning, with flooding and disruption likely in places, covers north Lancashire and Cumbria for tonight and until tomorrow evening when the weather is expected to be more showery. The Met Office is warning that the heavy rain could lead to spray and difficult driving conditions.

National Highways is advising anyone using motorways and major A roads in the north of the region to drive to conditions and take extra precautions in heavy rain such as cutting their speed, driving with dipped headlights and keeping their distance from other vehicles, leaving extra room for braking.

National Highways’ around-the-clock regional operations centre near Warrington and its operational control centre at Penrith will be closely monitoring conditions along sections of its roads like M6 and A66. National Highways traffic officers and maintenance teams at depots across Lancashire and Cumbria will be on standby tonight and tomorrow to respond to any rain-related incidents.