THE heatwave which East Lancashire and Chorley enjoyed is well and truly over - with temperatures plunging this week.

Last week the area enjoyed warm weather and sunshine with temperatures reaching a high of 26°C in towns including Accrington and Burnley.

But the temperature today has fallen by a whopping 11°C to just 15°C in Blackburn with temperatures the same in Chorley.

The cooler weather is expected to last throughout the week with temperatures in the area reaching no higher than 17°C.

It's not all bad news though for sun-worshippers, as although Met Office forecasters have predicted rain today, the weather is mainly expected to be cloudy with sunny intervals throughout.

As for the rest of July, the Met Office says we can expect plenty of dry, bright and warm weather but if blocked high pressure is displaced east or west we could end up with some changeable weather with significant rainfall at times.