The Met Office has today issued a weather warning for icy conditions in East Lancashire.

The warning is in place from 5pm today until 11am tomorrow and says that ice is likely to form on untreated surfaces, particularly where rain has fallen today.

The showers will fall as sleet or snow over hills and to low levels.

A spokesman said: "A band of rain, with hill snow, will move south across northern and central parts of the UK during Friday, followed by showers which will become confined to the north and west overnight.

"The showers will fall as snow over hills and even to low levels in the north. Clearing skies will allow the temperature to fall below freezing with ice a hazard on untreated surfaces."

Temperatures are expected to drop to -2C tonight with highs of just 4C tomorrow.

MORE TOP STORIES:

Already, snow has fallen in towns across East Lancashire including Bacup, Nelson and Colne and the outlying rural areas of Blackburn.

Lancashire Telegraph: Snow in Bacup

Dr Angie Bone of the Extreme Events team at Public Health England said: “Cold does kill, even in places where the temperatures aren’t at their lowest. Most of our advice on keeping warm in cold weather may seem like common sense, but it’s important that we make the point that people should think about how cold can affect them.

“Our advice is that when indoors, have plenty of warm food and drinks to stay warm and try to maintain indoor temperatures to at least 18C, particularly if you are not mobile, have long term illness or are 65 or over.

"If you need to go out wear lots of thin layers and wear shoes with a good, slip-resistant grip to prevent any accidental falls.

“This is also a good time to think about how the bad weather may affect your friends and family, particularly if they are older or very young or have pre-existing health conditions. These groups can be particularly vulnerable to the ill-effects of cold so think now what you could to help.”