Torrential rain leads to problems on East Lancashire's roads

6:10pm Tuesday 3rd November 2009

By Nafeesa Shan

Motorists were forced to slow down as the on and off heavy downpours left them unable to see clearly at times.

A number of busy roads and motorways also ground to a halt as they were hit by accidents.

But by the afternoon the weather became brighter with isolated showers and sunshine, but there were some strong winds.

During the morning chaos, road speeds were reduced with some accidents resulting in lanes being closed on the motorways by the emergency services.

On the he M61 north-bound, at junction nine, one lane was closed following an an accident at 8.15am and the matrix signs were set to 40mph.

At 7.45am on the Edenfield bypass, commuters were left queuing when two vehicles crashed south-bound and partially blocked the road.

Motorists on the west-bound carriageway, between junction 12, at Brierfield, and junction 11, at Burnley, were delayed when the driver of a Vauxhall Corsa lost control and drove into a side barrier, blocking a lane at around 8.10am.

Two lanes were also closed westbound, near junction seven, when a tanker flipped on its side shorlty before 9.30am.

The matrix sign was set to 40mph, and there was heavy traffic while the scene was cleared.

The Met Office had predicated the weather wou-ld take a turn for the worse as low pressure moved across the country which resulted in heavy rain and a risk of gales in places.

A spokesperson for Lancashire Constabulary said: “There was a short torrential downpour at 9am.

“In conditions like this we urge motorists to drive carefully, leave extra time for any journeys, and only make journeys if necessary.”

It predicts heavy rain showers on Thursday, with light rain on Friday, and a dry day, with sunny intervals, on Saturday.

Although the weather is expected to become brighter, the Met Office said temperatures were expected to drop to around nine degrees during the day, which is average for this time of the year.