A Horwich pub and play area is set to be closed for months after being severely damaged by recent floods.

The Beehive and Wacky Warehouse, on the Beehive Roundabout in Horwich, was set to reopen in line with lockdown restrictions allowing indoor hospitality on Monday May 17.

However, torrential rain on Sunday (May 16) evening caused flash flooding, closing many roads, and causing significant damage to homes and schools in the area.

This flooding has caused significant damage, according to Greene King who run the pub, with repairs needing to be carried out before the pub can reopen.

The team said they are very ‘disappointed’ to have had to delay this reopening, and have thanked the community for its support during this time.

A spokesperson for the Beehive said: “We’re all so upset by what’s happened but would like to thank our customers for their messages of support and for being so understanding when we’ve had to cancel any upcoming bookings.

“We were all looking forward to getting our pub and our Wacky Warehouse back open for the community and it’s just so disappointing to see it delayed.

“We’re already looking forward to being able to reopen again but unfortunately repairing the damage will almost certainly take a few months.

“We’re supporting our team at this stage and will look to update customers once we have more information on when all the repairs will be completed and we can reopen again.”

Much of Horwich was left underwater on Sunday evening with council officers were at the scene from 6pm Sunday, helping Greater Manchester Police, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue and other key organisations.

Schools, Chorley New Road Primary, St. Josephs Secondary School and St Mary’s RCP had to be closed and accommodation had to be found for those in the worst affected homes.

The Beehive isn't the only pub to have been affected by the rain, with the Hope and Anchor, in Chorley New Road, Doffcocker, also experiencing damage.

The Hope and Anchor also had not opened its outside area, meaning Monday would have been the first time it would have opened in many months.

However, the pub's landlady, Andrea Lockley, said that when she went to check the cellar for the final time, it was fully submerged in rain water.

She said it was "like a river" coming into the cellar and caused at least £10,000 worth of damage, and delayed their opening for most of this week.