PEOPLE have been advised to plan ahead if they want to watch the Tour de France which gets under way in just under two weeks time.

Lancashire County Council has made the warning ahead of the start of the first two stages of the world's most famous cycle race.

They will take place in the Pennine areas close to the East Lancashire border on Saturday July 5 and Sunday, July 6, with disruption expected as hundreds of thousands of people gather to enjoy the spectacle.

The route does not involve roads in the county but many roads close to the border are expected to be gridlocked as people travel to watch the race pass by.

And trains are also expected to be busier than normal.