RAILWAY enthusiasts are being urged not to crowd East Lancashire's station platforms and bridges this weekend in an attempt to see historic steam locomotive Princess Elizabeth.

The record-breaking Pacific engine, named after the Queen as child when it was built in 1933 and painted in LMS crimson, will be running through Clitheroe and Blackburn stations shortly after 5pm on Saturday.

Enthusiastic crowds packed the latter last year to see Flying Scotsman pulling the Northern Belle’s 1930s-style Pullman carriages.

A West Coast Railways spokesman said: “Because of Covid-19, we are asking people to act responsibly on Saturday.

“We fully understand people wanting to see the train but the safety of our passengers, staff and the public comes first. That is why we are appealing to people to remember the two-metre rule and act responsibly."

He added: “There have been reports from other parts of the country of people crowding on to station platforms to photograph steam-hauled heritage trains like the Northern Belle and we don’t want that to happen here.”

The Northern Belle is due at Clitheroe station at 5.08pm and Blackburn at 5.34pm.