PRESTON was thrown into chaos earlier this week as torrential rain and flooding caused mile-long tailbacks on the roads.

Some thoroughfares were left feet-deep in water after some of the worst Weather seen for several years struck throughout the county.

Queues began forming as early as 7.30am on Monday (October 30) as drivers struggled to make their way through the floodwater and traffic was halted altogether in some parts as water-logged engines fizzled out, leaving roads blocked and drivers stranded.

The A583, the main route into Preston from Blackpool, was under water in several places and motorists took almost an hour to complete the worst affected two -mile stretch.

The motorways were also ground to a halt by surface water. "It has been horrendous," said a spokesman for Lancashire police.

"We were advising people not to try to get through deep water as they were at risk of having the engine cut out blocking the road.

"We have had reports of large vehicles causing tidal waves of water behind them which has flooded into some people's homes.

"But the best advice in conditions that bad is if you don't have to travel -- then don't."

The Lancashire Ambulance service said they had had a "soggy but uneventful" Monday morning, having been advised by police of where the worst flooding was and were able to plan different routes. Preston Borough Council, which employs more than 1,300 people in the town said apart from a large number of people taking longer to come in to work, none of its services were severely disrupted.

The council also responded to 13 call-outs on Sunday night and early Monday morning to clear drains of blocked leaves and repair leaking council house roofs.

But there looks like there's more to come.

Weather experts are predicting another weekend of heavy rain and gale force winds, meaning many could suffer severe flooding yet again.

The Met Office are predicting that the rain will continue into the weekend with more persistent and heavy showers reaching us at the weekend.

This has fuelled speculation that the region could be in for severe flooding again.

A large band of rain moving up from the south should reach Lancashire early Sunday morning and continue throughout the day, meaning that many people's bonfire nights could be a wash out.

Gale force winds are also expected, becoming severe in some places, and wintery temperatures will also hit, reaching a maximum of around 10 degrees Celcius.