Highways teams are ready for Storm Francis as rain batters Burnley

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for high winds and heavy rain from this afternoon until Wednesday morning.

The storm brings the potential for disruption to travel as a result of debris and surface water flooding on roads.

The county council's highway teams are on standby to deal with whatever the weather brings, whether there's a need to remove downed trees, or minimise the impact of floods by diverting traffic and removing storm debris from drains.

Highways teams have already been inspecting and clearing trash screens from drainage systems which are most vulnerable to flooding in readiness for the storm.

External contractors are also available to be called upon to add to the council's manpower should they be needed.

People should report any urgent problems on the roads caused by the storm which do not require an emergency response to local police by calling 101, so they can pass any issues onto highway teams as necessary.

John Davies, head of highways, said: "Parts of Lancashire have already suffered flooding this month due to the unsettled summer weather, and we’re as well prepared as we can be for whatever Storm Francis brings.

"We hope that Lancashire won't be too badly affected, but nevertheless our highway teams are ready to deal with incidents such as blocked roads, as well as any other urgent repairs and maintenance that may be needed.

"Unfortunately these heavy rainfall events are becoming part of our new normal as the UK climate changes, bringing weather patterns which our drainage networks were never designed to cope with.

"The county council is working with the region's water companies, our city and district councils and the Environment Agency to identify where investing in public drainage infrastructure will be beneficial and bid for funds to mitigate future flooding wherever we can develop viable projects.

"I'd ask people to report any issues with flooding so that we can gather as much information as possible to assist with our investigations and inform any future funding bids.

"You can also find advice on our website about what to do before, during, and after a flood."

More information and advice can be found at www.lancashire.gov.uk/flooding.