Amber warning rain alert for north west drivers

Drivers in the north west are being urged to exercise extra caution over the next 24 hours with a forecast of persistent and heavy rain from the Met Office.
Weather warning  as Met Office issues amber alert for heavy rainfall in north westWeather warning  as Met Office issues amber alert for heavy rainfall in north west
Weather warning as Met Office issues amber alert for heavy rainfall in north west

The amber warning, with flooding and disruption likely in places, covers north Lancashire and Cumbria from tonight and until tomorrow evening when the weather is expected to become more showery.

The Met Office has warned that the heavy rain could lead to spray and difficult driving conditions.

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National Highways is advising anyone using motorways and major A roads in the north of the region to 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 says 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.

This evening the Met Office updated its advice warning there could be flooding in some areas during the next 24-36 hours and advised:" Much of Cumbria will see around a month's worth of rain by the end of Thursday with as much as 250 mm over the fells." Yellow and amber weather warnings were applied to parts of Cumbria.

For full advice, including precautions for driving in heavy rain, see here .

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Met Office updates will be available at www.metoffice.gov.uk see here .

Live traffic information is available at www.trafficengland.com or here with regular updates from National Highways’ regional Twitter feed at @HighwaysNWEST.

Drivers are also being advised to pay attention to safety messages on overhead electronic signs, to listen for radio updates, and to check weather and traffic conditions before setting out on journeys.

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