THE Easter Bunny will need a brolly and an overcoat when he visits East Lancashire this weekend.

Good Friday will feature heavy rain with dry but chilly conditions on Saturday and Sunday. Rain will return accompanied by strong winds on Easter Monday, forecasters warned yesterday.

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The Met Office said: “Into Easter Monday, outbreaks of rain and stronger winds are likely to affect north-western parts, whilst other areas remain largely dry and bright.”

But the forecast is unlikely to discourage hardy bank holiday-makers, expected to take in Easter treats, with events set to be held across the region.

Traffic is expected to peak on East Lancashire’s roads tomorrow, research conducted by the AA said.

The motoring group said it would be the busiest day of the year so far with more than half the poll’s 16,194 respondents planning to drive on holiday or outing.

Two-fifths also plan to make a trip the following day.

Mark Spowage from the AA said: “Despite a rather unsettled forecast, we expect more people to get away this Easter, as it falls quite early this year.

“There will be a lot of pressure on the main getaway routes, and the likes of the M6, M25 and M1 are going to be very busy.”

Meanwhile, Virgin is “strongly recommending” that passengers do not travel between Good Friday and Easter Monday.

Travellers face disruption on the railways and jams on the roads during Easter as improvement work on the West Coast line between Crewe and Warrington and between Carlisle and Glasgow will severely restrict Virgin services to northern England and Scotland.

Another area in which work is going on over Easter is between Manchester and Bolton, via Farnworth. Manchester Victoria station will be closed from Good Friday to the end of Easter Monday.