Winds force closure of town centre street

A day after winds of up to 70mph hit the region, forecasters said gusts should drop to around 35mph, easing into the weekend.

But the Met Office said temperatures close to freezing will hit the coast – with drivers advised to be careful in the morning rush hour with a yellow weather warning in place until 11am today.

The Met Office’s Nicola Maxey said the weather front could see the region experience some icy conditions and heavy rainfall.

She added: “The snow and ice will be worse on higher ground further inland.

“It looks like Blackpool will see rain throughout Friday morning.

“Any snow, if it falls, will be quite small, however, and I would expect any heavy rain to clear quickly. I would advise drivers to be alert and aware of the conditions.

“The weather is just above freezing, but again, the rain should help to clear any icy conditions during the day.”

Gusts touching 70mph affected much of the Fylde coast on Wednesday into Thursday, with Bank Hey Street in Blackpool closed for six hours yesterday after safety concerns.

Mrs Maxey said conditions should clear and temperatures could reach double figures by Sunday and Monday.

She added: “In terms of wind, residents can expect gusts of up to 35mph today, easing into Sunday.

“Temperatures moving throughout the weekend should reach double figures as the weather front moves south.”

Winds force closure of town centre street

Bank Hey Street in Blackpool town centre was closed for six hours yesterday after police concerns about falling debris.

Officers closed the route at 11am, only reopening around 5pm, with music shop HMV Blackpool among shops closed.

Store manager Neil Carpenter said: “There was some issue with debris. I do not know the exact details but it has not been an ideal day.

“It is a bit of wind tunnel down Bank Hey Street and it has happened before in bad weather.”