LARGE parts of the borough were underwater after heavy rains caused flash flooding - and forecasters have warned there is more to come.

A number of homes in Westhoughton were submerged and vehicles were heavily damaged in Ladybridge yesterday after a day of consistent downpours led to chaos.

In Fawcetts Fold, off Wingates Lane, residents were left clearing up their soaked furniture for the second time in a fortnight as water levels quickly rose nearly a foot in a few hours and began to fill homes.

Fire crews arrived at the small cul-de-sac around 10pm but could not pump water from the properties because of concerns about damaged electrics.

For Frank and Valerie Knowles it is the fourth time in the last 15 years that their house has been swamped.

“We had every man and his dog out here helping after it started,” Mrs Knowles said.

“We were using dustbins to bail the water out of the house but we were running out of bins as it filled up.”

The flooding impacted three other homes before it drained away.

A United Utilities spokesperson said: “We’re really sorry to hear about this flooding. We will of course have our engineers thoroughly checking our network to ensure it is operating as designed to do. However, previous investigation work in this area has not shown any issues with our network. We will also continue to work with other agencies to share information to help identify what measures can be taken to minimise the risk of flooding in the future.”

Elsewhere in Bolton, there was flooding on Armadale Road, which runs adjacent to Beaumont Road in Ladybridge.

Water levels reached between two and three feet and some motorists had to abandon their cars after trying to drive through the blockage.

Peter Ementon, who has lived in nearby Greenock Close for more than 40 years, said that flooding in the street was not uncommon.

He said: “There isn’t the capacity in the drainage system to drain it. It was pouring through the walls in the back garden and out into the street.

“Once the rain stops it drains away in a couple of hours but if it doesn’t stop raining we have got a major problem.”

Police were called and directed people around the flooded street but not before two cars had become stuck in the water.

Forecasters have warned that the problems could continue after including Bolton in an amber alert for rain.

The warning indicates that flooding of roads and properties could happen again with rain likely to fall consistently from 7am until 8pm tomorrow.