Forecasters are predicting up to 10cms of snow, with up to 20cms on higher ground, will fall across the county on Thursday night and Friday morning.

Wild weather and winds of up to 70mph left a 20-mile stretch of the M6 shut in the north of the county on Thursday morning.

In Lostock Hall, near Preston, roads were blocked by flooding and falling trees blocked major roads in the Preston area.

Forecaster Helen Chivers, from the Met Office, said: "The wind is turning northwards bringing some very cold weaher with it and a real chance of some heavy snow showers on Thursday night into Friday morning.

"There will be strong winds, anything up to 70mph, expected right through until Friday and there is a real risk of more lighter snow showers on Friday.

"The message for Lancashire is really hang onto your hats."

People living in the Fulwood Park area of Fulwood, Preston, were some of the 5,000 North West homes without power on Thursday morning as engineers from United Utilities received "countless" reports of fallen electricity lines.

This was reduced to 1,100 by midday, with 135 homes in the Preston and Blackpool area affected.

A United Utilities spokesman said engineers were working to fix problems and hoped power would be restored by 5pm.

A tree was blown down in Shuttleworth Road, off St George's Road, Deepdale.

PC Dave Taylor, from the road traffic unit at Preston Police, said: "The north and east of the county seem to have been the worst affected, we seem to have got away with it here in Preston for the time being."

The A583 was also closed in Clifton, near Preston, due to a falling tree and Singleton Road in Weeton, between Preston and Blackpool, was also closed by an uprooted branch.

Both were re-opened at around 9am.

In Lostock Hall, Jubilee Road was blocked at its junction with Watkin Lane by flooding and Brownedge Road was also shut both ways at the junction with Lourdes Avenue.

There was chaos on the M6 in Cumbria with six accidents over a 50-mile northbound stretch between junctions 36 at Kirkby Lonsdale and 44 for Carlisle North.

One person died when a lorry blew over close to junction 38, while a lorry carrying paint thiner also blew over between junctions 39 and 40.

Two lanes of the motorway were shut northbound on the M6 following an accident between junctions 36 and 39 in Cumbria, leading to one-hour delays in the area.

There were also several accidents on the M65, delaying motorists travelling from Blackburn to Preston, while there was also a minor accident at Junction 31a of the M6 at Fulwood.

Meanwhile, ambulance bosses are urging people to take extra care and wrap up warm as the weather takes a turn for the worse.

Health chiefs are also asking members of the public to check on elderly relatives and neighbours, and help them with shopping and transport to try and prevent injuries from trips and falls.

If somebody does have a medical concern that is not an emergency, the NHS has a range of services enabling patients to get the right treatment at the right time.

For more information contact NHS Direct on 0845 4647.

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