A 'yellow' weather warning is in place across East Lancashire tonight as the region braces for heavy rain and possible thunderstorms.

The warning, issued by the Met Office, has been put in place until 10pm.

A Met Office spokesman said: "An unstable and moist flow provides the energy for some heavy downpours.

"In some locations, these may produce in excess of 30mm of rain in two or three hours.

"The public should be aware of the risk of localised surface water flooding, with the added hazard of lightning in some areas."

An improvement is expected in the weather tomorrow, which should be mainly dry, with some sunshine predicted on Friday.

But Met Office forecasters say the rain could return this weekend, with heavy showers expected, particularly on Sunday.