An ice cream maker has seen their sales double this week as the heatwave sweeping across East Lancashire fuels a surge in demand.

With the Met Office issuing an extreme weather warning for Thursday onwards with highs of around the mid-30s, supermarkets are gearing up for a mammoth weekend.

And Mrs Dowsons Ice Cream, based in Clayton-le-Dale, said that orders have doubled this week.

Visitors have been flocking to its farm shop and the business has seen a rise in demand from wholesale customers.

A spokesperson for the company said: “We’ve been really busy with orders… a week like this with the heatwave, I’d say they’ve definitely doubled.

“The ice cream parlour on the site definitely gets busier on hotter days.

Lancashire Telegraph: Mrs Downson's Farm Park is situated on Hawkshaw FarmMrs Downson's Farm Park is situated on Hawkshaw Farm

“In terms of wholesale customers, you get a lot of customers calling last minute, saying ‘we’re really busy with the weather, can we place last-minute orders?’”

Its traditional flavours such as Vanilla and Strawberry have proven popular this week, but in a sign of Britons branching into more experimental choices, so have its black cherry amaretto and peardrop flavours.

Mrs Dowsons monitors Met Office heat warnings as a gauge of demand and has fortified its supply chain for when temperatures soar later this week.

“We’re definitely prepared when it comes to heatwaves like this with drivers and vans and everything,” the spokeswoman added.