Highways teams prepare for Storm Agnes

Lancashire’s highways teams are preparing in the run up to Storm Agnes.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for strong and disruptive winds from midday today, Wednesday (September 27) to 7am on Thursday (September 28).

People are being warned that this will bring possible risk due to flying debris, damage to buildings and potential power cuts, affecting services such as mobile phone coverage as well as transport services, while there will also be a small chance of injuries as well risk of large waves and minor flooding in coastal areas.

However, the county council’s highway teams are on standby to deal with whatever the weather brings, with highways staff keeping a close eye on the localised forecasts as the weather picture develops on Wednesday.

People are being urged to report any urgent problems on the roads caused by the storm which require a highways emergency response by calling 0300 123 6780. Any issues which are not urgent and could be addressed the next working day can be reported via the 'report a highways fault' link on the front page of Lancashire County Council's website at www.lancashire.gov.uk

County Councillor Rupert Swarbrick, cabinet member for Highways and Transport, said: “Our highways teams are as prepared as they can be for whatever Storm Agnes brings, whether that be dealing with fallen trees, or making roads safe due to risks posed by damaged structures.

“It's always best to be prepared and I’d ask everyone to stay safe, keep an eye on the forecast and consider their travel plans in light of the weather warning.

‘’This autumnal storm is also a good reminder to think about anything you need to do to prepare as the weather becomes colder, whether that’s making sure you’ve got salt for de-icing paths around your home, or checking that vulnerable friends or relatives have got everything they need to stay warm, dry, safe and well.”

You can also stay #WeatherAware by following our social media channels at @LancashireCC and on Facebook,  and follow @TheFloodHub for flooding updates.