Lancashire is straightforward to reach and much more varied to deliver into than its motorway coverage suggests. The M6 runs the full length of the county and the M65 and M55 push east and west off it, so the trunk-road leg is easy. What changes is what happens after the exit: the county covers dense mill towns, the Fylde coast, the Bowland fells and — the part that catches people out — the West Lancashire mosslands, which are peat.
Delivery to Lancashire is free: the price shown against a container is the total payable, with nothing added at checkout. Offload by HIAB or crane is agreed in writing before delivery.
Ports serving Lancashire
- Heysham
- Fleetwood
- Liverpool (Peel Ports, adjacent Merseyside)
- Barrow-in-Furness (adjacent Cumbria)
Lancashire’s own ports are modest and oriented to the Irish Sea: Heysham is primarily a freight ferry port for the Isle of Man and Ireland, and Fleetwood is much reduced from its peak. The significant container capacity serving the county is at Liverpool, just over the Merseyside boundary, where the deep-water container terminal handles transatlantic traffic. As everywhere, the unit that reaches you comes from wherever the right container is rather than from the nearest quay.
Roads into Lancashire
The M6 runs the length of Lancashire and does most of the work, with the M61 feeding in from Manchester and the M65 running east through Blackburn and Burnley to Colne. The M55 serves Blackpool and the Fylde. Off the motorway network the A59 crosses from Liverpool through Preston and the Ribble Valley towards Skipton, the A56 climbs through Rossendale, and the A585 runs to Fleetwood. East of the M65 the county turns upland quickly and the Pennine crossings into Yorkshire are weather-affected in winter.
Areas we deliver to in Lancashire
- Preston
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Burnley
- Blackpool
- Lancaster and Morecambe
- Chorley
- Fylde and Lytham
- Wyre and Fleetwood
- Ribble Valley and Clitheroe
- Pendle and Nelson
- Rossendale
- West Lancashire and Ormskirk
- Hyndburn and Accrington
- South Ribble and Leyland
Site access in Lancashire
Two constraints recur here and they are opposites. In the east — Rossendale, Pendle, the Forest of Bowland fringe — it is gradient and width: steep, narrow, walled lanes serving farms and smallholdings, where a rigid artic simply cannot follow a route a 4×4 manages easily. In the west, around Ormskirk, Burscough and the Tarleton mosses, the problem is the ground itself. That land is drained peat: it is highly productive farmland and it is soft, and it will not reliably carry a 44-tonne vehicle off a made-up surface, particularly in winter. If your site is on the mosses, say so when you enquire.
Check the approach against our guide to delivery access, craning and ground preparation before you order.
Planning permission in Lancashire
Lancashire has no National Park within its modern boundary, but it has two National Landscapes: the Forest of Bowland, which covers a large upland block in the north-east of the county, and Arnside and Silverdale on the Morecambe Bay fringe. Both apply tighter control over anything visible in open countryside. There are Green Belt designations around the Manchester and Merseyside fringes in the south, and conservation areas throughout the historic mill towns and in Lancaster. Your district council is the planning authority, not the county.
See also our guide to planning permission for a shipping container in the UK.
Delivery timing
The M6 corridor makes the road leg predictable for most of Lancashire. The realistic variables are winter conditions on the eastern uplands and Pennine crossings, and ground conditions on the western mosses — neither of which is about distance.
Our general estimate is 7 to 10 days from cleared payment — an estimate given in good faith, not a guarantee.
Stock is held at third-party depots around the country, so a Lancashire delivery is despatched from wherever the right unit is. Viewings are by appointment — see our contact page.
Containers available for delivery to Lancashire
See what size you need and the condition guide.
Delivery across North West England
Lancashire sits within our North West England delivery region; all delivery areas covers the rest of the UK.
Request a quote with your postcode and a note on the final approach.