Storm Lilian brings travel disruption, power cuts and flood alerts to Lancashire following 60mph winds

Lilian is the twelfth named storm of the season, the furthest through the list the Met Office has got since it was introduced in 2015. The strongest gust of wind recorded in Lancashire was 62mph in Blackpool.

More than 500 homes were subsequently left without electricity across the county, with the worst affected area being Samlesbury in South Ribble.

Electricity North West’s website showed 280 properties had been affected, with power set to be restored by 6.30pm.

The company had warned customers that conditions at times may be unsafe for lines teams to climb meaning restorations might be delayed.  

Samantha Loukes, incident manager for Electricity North West, said: “We’re constantly monitoring the weather, and our latest forecasts are showing that some areas of the North West could see wind speeds top 60mph.

“We’re expecting the worst of the weather to hit overnight from around 4am but forecasts do change, and teams will be on hand to keep an eye out and respond.

“Given the predicted forecasts, conditions at times could be unsafe for engineers to climb which might mean restorations are delayed.”

She added: “Where we can, we’ll utilise the remote technology on our network to restore supplies and once conditions have eased, teams will carry out permanent repairs where it is safe to do so.”

The public were urged to stay away from any damaged equipment as it could still be live.

Instead, call Electricity North West on 105 and they will send engineers to make it safe. Call 999 if there is a life-threatening situation.

A flood alert also remained in place for the Wyre estuary from Fleetwood and Knott End to Little Eccleston.

The Environment Agency said flooding was possible at 2.55am on Saturday due to spring tides and strong winds.

Areas most at risk were Tiger's Tail, Wyre Dock, Burrow's Marsh, Burn Naze, Thornton, Trunnah, Stanah, Poulton-le-Fylde, Skippool, Hambleton, Cold Row, Little Singleton, Little Eccleston and Crow Woods.

Residents were subsequently urged to be careful along beaches, promenades, coastal footpaths and roads as large waves and sea spray could be dangerous.

Flood alerts were also issued for the coast from Heysham to Cockerham as well as the Lune estuary south west of Lancaster.

Passengers planning to use Northern Rail services were advised not to travel due to disruption across the network.

A spokesman for the company said: “Whilst the winds are starting to calm down there are routes with trees blocking them and overhead wires damaged.

“Along with this all our trains and train crew are not in the right places. “Everyone is working to get things moving as quickly as possible, but safety is number one priority and we will only run trains when it's safe to do so.”

Customers affected by the disruption could use their tickets the following day.