STRONG gales lashed East Lancashire today - tearing the roof off a building and causing traffic chaos.

Part of the roof of a derelict warehouse in Oswaldtwistle fell to the ground, narrowly missing motorists and pedestrians.

Blackburn Road, Oswaldtwistle was closed for several hours at 1pm after a section of the roof from the old Hargreaves Warehouse came loose, flying across the road and landing in a tree.

Long queues of traffic formed in Oswaldtwislte as vehicles were diverted away from the scene because of fears that more debris could fall.

As well as a large part of the roof landing across the road there was also masonry and brickwork that had fallen on to the pavement.

Blackburn Road was closed between the junction of Market Street and Buttermere Avenue.

Sgt Ian Corbett from Accrington police said: "It is lucky that no-one was hurt.

"The road had to remain closed until the damage to the building was properly assessed and the area was safe."

Fire crews and council staff were also at the scene to assess the situation.

Eye witness, Joyce Atkinson, of Blackburn Road in Accrington, said: "It is really scary to think that bits of the roof could have landed on someone or a car. Someone could have been badly hurt."

Winds in the north west were recorded in excess of 70mph on Thursday night and into this morning, forcing the MET office to issue a severe weather warning.

Tomorrow, highs of 3C and lows of 2C are expected with a 10mph north easterly wind.

On Sunday, temperatures will range from 5C to 1C with a northerly 22mph wind.

There is a possibility of snow on both days.