BOLTON was battered by rain, wind and snow this weekend as ‘Storm Hannah’ blasted across the region.

The huge weather system was the second to hit Bolton in a week, bringing torrential rain across the town.

Several inches of rain fell in just a few hours, causing chaos for motorists and resulting in a dramatic rise in river levels.

Warnings were issued along stretches of the River Irwell with the Environment Agency alerting people to the possibility of flooding for low lying land and roads around the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries

Strong winds made the weather conditions even worse, with gales reaching up to 70 mph. Temperatures also dropped dramatically ­— adding to the already treacherous conditions.

Overnight on Sunday a blanket of snow fell on higher parts of Bolton.

In anticipation of wintry conditions a fleet of 500 snowploughs were on standby across the north of England.

However by morning the worst of the inclement weather had cleared, making way for sunny spells and blustery showers. The rest of the week is set to be cloudy and breezy.