The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning with possible thunderstorms and heavy rain set to hit throughout East Lancashire later this week.

A period of high pressure has resulted in warmer temperatures through much of this week.

Storms are predicted to arrive on Thursday, and with temperatures set to hit 23 degrees today the UK Health Security Agency and Met Office have issued a heat health alert.

These high temperatures mean there will be an increasing chance of showers, which could turn to thunder and may lead to some disruption on Thursday.

The Met Office said spray and sudden flooding may result in difficult driving conditions and road closures whilst there is a small chance that some communities could become cut off by flooded roads.

There is a small chance of power cuts and a loss of other services could occur with fast flowing or deep floodwater a possibility.

The yellow warning, which covers the whole of Lancashire and much of England and Wales, is in place for the whole of Thursday.

A spokesperson for the Met Office said: “Heavy showers and thunderstorms and likely to break out across parts of England and Wales on Thursday afternoon.

“The exact location is still uncertain, and some places will stay dry all day.

“However, where the showers do occur, they could be torrential with the additional hazards of lightning, hail and gusty winds.

“The heaviest showers could result in 20mm to 30mm within an hour, with 24-hour accumulations possibly reaching as much as 70mm to 90mm where multiple showers affect the same location.”