Bolton on flood alert as more heavy rain heads for the borough (From The Bolton News)

Bolton on flood alert as more heavy rain heads for the borough

3:00pm Thursday 19th November 2009

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BOLTON is braced for storm chaos — as gale force winds and more heavy rain heads for the borough.

Weather alerts were issued by the Met Office yesterday as the town ground to a halt in the rush hour.

Flash floods sparked traffic chaos on some of the borough’s main arterial routes, causing misery for commuters and parents on the school run.

The Environment Agency issued flood warnings across Bolton, including Farnworth, Little Lever and Radcliffe, which are in the Upper Irwell catchment area, urging people to exercise caution and not to travel unless necessary.

Bolton Council responded to more than 50 reported incidents of flooding.

A spokesman said: “Teams from Highways have been prioritising these according to severity, to ensure public safety on the roads and footpaths.

“We have had seven vehicles out on the road dealing with the flooding incidents and cleaning out gullies and drains.

“We do undertake regular inspections to clean gullies and sweep leaves, but one of the issues is that the drainage system is already running at capacity due to the volume of rainfall in the last few days.”

Drivers had to push their stalled cars out of a flooded Chorley New Road in Horwich, near to the Beehive Roundabout, while traffic queued on Belmont Road and on the Blackrod bypass, which were termed as “passable with care”.

At 7am, one woman had to be rescued by firefighters when her Peugeot 206 became flooded up to its windscreen in Bye Road, Ramsbottom.

Severe weather warnings are in place for the region until tomorrow, with more heavy rain and 60mph winds expected.

Kathleen Walsh, a Middlebrook worker, said: “The area near Bolton School was bad and I had to wade through water to cross to the bus stop. The area just past the Beehive roundabout was also bad and the bus only just made it through at 7.30am.”

Loraine Perkins, who works in Horwich, said: “I was stuck in traffic for at least 30 minutes and had to drive through very deep floodwater at the roundabout.

“The roads into Horwich were at gridlock, with traffic being backed up from the roundabout right to the Crown in Horwich.”

Traffic on the M61 was also moving slowly as spray affected visibility, while problems were reported near Bradshaw Meadows, Bradshaw.

Bolton experienced 15mm of rainfall on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. The Met Office said it was caused by the collision of warm and cold air moving in from the south and north of the Atlantic.

Experts said another system, bringing more heavy rain, is expected to hit the region on Saturday. The Met Office also predicts a 60 per cent chance of severe weather across Lancashire today and tomorrow.

An Environment Agency spokesman added: “If people have battery-powered radios and torches, have them ready.

“Listen to the news and see what’s going on. Avoid going into flood water, either in cars, on foot or on bikes, because it can sweep you off your feet and you don’t know what’s in there.”

l If you have pictures of the flood chaos, text them to us on 80360, starting your message BONEWS julian.thorpe@ theboltonnews.co.uk

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