Drivers in the are being urged to exercise extra caution over the next 24 hours with a forecast of persistent and heavy rain from the Met Office.
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.
Full advice, including precautions for driving in heavy rain and the measures National Highways will be taking to manage any incidents is included on a dedicated webpage at: https://highwaysengland.co.uk/road-safety/travelling-in-severe-weather/travelling-when-it-s-raining/
Drivers are also being advised to pay attention to messages on overhead electronic signs, to listen for radio updates, and check weather and traffic conditions before setting out on journeys. Met Office updates are available at www.metoffice.gov.uk with live traffic information at www.trafficengland.com and regular updates from National Highways’ regional Twitter feed at @HighwaysNWEST.
