A warning has been issued for severely cold weather as Storm Darcy, dubbed the second Beast from the East, makes its way through Lancashire.

The cold snap is set to last until Wednesday, and Blackburn with Darwen Roads department have issued the following warning on their social media accounts:

The current alert level, which is Amber, means there will be a high probability of severe cold weather until 9pm on Wednesday February 10 in parts of England.

Blackburn with Darwen Roads department said: "This weather could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services.

"Please refer to the national cold weather plan and your trust's emergency plan for appropriate preventive action."

The drop in temperatures this weekend will likely lead to icy conditions on roads and risk of travel disruption.

Very cold temperatures will spread to all parts of the country by the end of Sunday and into Monday morning - the coldest period of the winter so far.

Indications are that all parts of England are going into a notable cold spell of weather as we head into the coming week with sharp overnight frosts, and temperatures near freezing by day, together with cold winds.

Already, places in West Yorkshire have seen disruption, with snow on the M62 near Milnrow/Shaw on Saturday night and several crashes on that stretch of the motorway overnight and into Sunday morning.