PART of Preston railway station remained closed today after a weekend of stormy weather made the glass roof structure unsafe.

Football fans faced delays following Saturday's FA Cup tie at Ewood Park after damage by strong winds forced the closure of all but two platforms.

Wigan Athletic fans returning home after the game against Blackburn Rovers were urged to take an alternative route or remain patient while awaiting trains.

Most of the station re-opened yesterday except for the short-stay car park and taxi rank which remained affected today. East Lancashire escaped the worst of the storms which battered Great Britain on Saturday and yesterday.

Emergency services had braced themselves for a repeat of the chaos caused by strong winds and rain on Christmas Eve.

But damage was limited to guttering, loose roofing tiles and one dangerous chimney stack.

It was business as usual today after the Christmas storm knocked out the telephone system at Hyndburn Council offices, in Eagle Street, Accrington.

An electrical fault is thought to have caused the power supply to the switchboard to go down.

The system went on to battery back-up and the problem only came to light when staff returned to work on Friday and the back-up drained.

The gales also damaged the roof of the neighbouring Accrington and Rossendale College building.

Material blown off the roof of the technology and construction department crashed on to the roof of the council offices, causing damage and breaking a number of windows.

Water leaked through the ceiling of the chief executive's suite where electrical equipment had to be moved until repairs were carried out.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.