Gritters will be out on priority routes in East Lancashire as temperatures are predicted to get as low as -5°c.

Lancashire County Council has said they will have gritters on all priority routes in East Lancashire this afternoon (December 6).

The council have said that priority routes only cover a third of the highway network.

East Lancashire roads across Burnley, Pendle, Ribble Valley, Rossendale and Hyndburn will be on the primary gritting routes.

Roads leading out of Blackburn town centre, such as Preston New Road and Whalley Road, will also be covered.

Roads across wider parts of the county will also be covered, including those in Chorley, Lancaster, Pendle, Preston, South Ribble, West Lancashire and Wyre.

Priority routes include non-trunk Motorways and 'A' roads which are the main routes across Lancashire; 'B' roads which are routes in and out of towns; roads which lead to hospitals, emergency service stations, main employment centres, and important public transport routes; and single routes into villages.

Lancashire County Council has a fleet of 45 frontline gritters which can treat the 1,800 miles of the county council's priority road network within around four hours, but may take longer in severe conditions.

Drivers are warned that ice patches can develop on treated surfaces caused by water run-off from fields or other sources and that ice is most likely on untreated surfaces.