SNOW and ice has forced schools to close and caused traffic chaos across Lancashire for a third day.

CURRENT TRAFFIC INCIDENTS AT 11.00AM.

  • A59 both ways blocked due to snow around Gledstone Road. Reports that six lorries have got stuck in the snow and that motorists are turning around. Will affect traffic between Clitheroe and Skipton.
  • Severe delays and road closed due to snow on A6177 Grane Road both ways between M65 J5 (Guide) and A56 (Haslingden), congestion on A680 Whalley Road to Accrington. There are more than a hundred vehicles are stuck in the snow. The Police are on the scene and advise drivers to avoid the area completely.
  • Delays and road closed due to jackknifed lorry on A666 Duckworth Street Northbound between Vale Street / Charles Street and Heys Lane. Note change of direction. Near The Brookside pub, affecting traffic from Bolton to Blackburn. CCTV originally reported it as being Southbound.
  • Long delays cleared and normal driving conditions, snow cleared on A675 Belmont Road both ways between A666 Blackburn Road and Chapel Street / Back High Street. Between Bolton and Belmont Village.
  • Normal driving conditions, snow cleared on A666 both ways between A679 Lower Audley Street / A6177 Park Road and A675 Belmont Road. No recent updates. Between Blackburn and Bolton.
  • Click here for all the latest incidents on the roads.

WEATHER FORECAST

Forecasters are predicting the weather may improve over the next few days.

They say heavy showers will set in later today, while sunny intervals and scattered showers will be prominent on Friday and Saturday.

Sunday will be dry and bright, according to the Met Office.

North West Ambulance NHS Trust is advising people to wrap up warm and take extra care on the roads.

  • Click here for the full five-day weather forecast.

PHOTOS

  • We have dozens of photos of the snow across Lancashire - click here for the gallery.
  • Send us your photos and video clips of the weather where you are. Text the photo to 80360, starting your message with LT, or email us here.

TODAY'S SCHOOL CLOSURES

  • Blackburn with Darwen: St James Primary; Queen Elizabeths Grammar School; St Mary's College; Intack Primary; Audley Junior & Infants; Newfield Special; Shadsworth Infants and Juniors; Belthorn Primary; Wensley Fold Primary - - open from 1pm; Brookhouse Primary; St. Aidan's Primary Salesbury Primary; Crosshills; St Matthews Primary; Fernhurst; Blakewater College; Our Lady & St John; St Anthony's Primary; Meadowhead Infants; Brunel Nursery School; Ashleigh Primary; Sunnyhurst Centre; St Pauls Primary, Hoddlesden; St Peter's CE Primary; Darwen Academy; St Barnabas CE Primary; Darwen Holy Trinity C of E Primary; St Josephs Primary; St Stephen, Tockholes.
  • Burnley: Barden Primary; Burnley Intervention Support and Achievement Centre (ISAAC); Rosegrove Nursery; St Peter's Church of England Primary; Cherry Fold Community Primary; Padiham St Leonard's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary; Reedley Hallows Nursery and Children's Centre; Rosegrove Infants; Rosewood Primary; Shuttleworth College; Rose; Thomas Whitham Sixth Form.
  • Chorley: Coppull St John's Church of England Primary.
  • Fylde: None.
  • Hyndburn: Accrington Lee Royd Nursery; Accrington St Christopher's Church Of England High; Accrington Woodnook Primary; Belthorn Foundation Primary; Broadfield; Oswaldtwistle Hippings Methodist Primary; Oswaldtwistle White Ash; St Anne & St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary Accrington; St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary Accrington.
  • Lancaster: Tatham Fells Church of England Primary.
  • Pendle: Barnoldswick Coates Lane Primary; Brierfield Walter Street Primary; Brierfield Woodfield Nursery; Colne Newtown Nursery; Colne Primet Primary; Earby Springfield Primary; Higham St John's Church of England Primary; Laneshawbridge Primary; Marsden Heights Community College Nelson; St Philip's Church of England Primary; Reedley Primary; Salterforth Primary; St John Southworth Roman Catholic Primary, Nelson; St Joseph's Catholic Primary, Barnoldswick.
  • Preston: None.
  • Ribble Valley: Bolton By Bowland Church Of England Primary; Bowland High; Brennands Endowed Primary Slaidburn; Gisburn Primary; Grindleton Church Of England Primary; Ribblesdale High /Technology College; Salesbury Church Of England Primary; St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary Sabden.
  • Rossendale: Bacup Britannia Community Primary; Bacup Thorn Primary; Fearns Community Sports College; Haslingden High Specialist Arts College; Haslingden Primary; Leabrook Short Stay; Our Lady & St Anselm's Roman Catholic Primary Whitworth; St Bartholomew's Church Of England Primary; St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary; Stacksteads Bacup; St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary Haslingden.
  • South Ribble: Hoole St Michael's CE Primary, Much Hoole.
  • Wyre: None.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT UPDATE AT 9.15AM

No significant problems reported.

  • Click here for the latest incidents on public transport.

GRITTING

Gritting teams were mobilised across Lancashire’s roads to cope with the snowfall.

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said its roads were salted twice for safety reasons, starting with a “priority network” of key routes.

Despite the work, the Lib Dem group leader David Whipp claimed a lack of resources meant the county county’s team was “hamstrung”, and not enough salt was being used.

He said: “There must have been thousands of pounds of damage from cars sliding into each other.”

In Blackburn with Darwen, crews said they worked until midnight on Monday evening and were back on duty at 5am yesterday morning.

They gritted 165 miles of road throughout the borough while teams of hand gritters worked on Blackburn and Darwen town centre and outside health centres.

Peter Hunt, director of regeneration and environment said “We grit on eight routes around the borough, covering primary roads and secondary roads which have priority as well as having teams of hand gritters out doing the town centres and outside health centres.

“We cover 165 miles of road but unfortunately we cannot grit every single side street so we do urge people to take care.”