Chaos as crazy weather hits
AFOOTBALL boss said it was ‘lucky nobody was killed’ after torrential rain and ferocious gales battered the Valley.
Storm Angus, which ravaged large swathes of England and Wales, capped a wild few days after heavy snowfall last Friday disrupted bin collections, schools and roads. Bacup Borough manager Brent Peters said the roof of their main stand was lifted off after storms hit on Monday night and residents in neighbouring properties were left ‘ panicking and terrified’.
Mr Peters rushed to the Brian Boys West View Stadium with his son and a colleague after being alerted by neighbours – and said he could not believe the ferocious conditions.
He said: “If we didn’t get to the ground when it did then it could have been a lot worse. When I turned the floodlights on it was a scary sight. The roof was lifting off and the wind was getting underneath it. It was like the stand was doing a Mexican wave.
“I’m just thankful and grateful, having seen what it was doing, that there was no serious damage to any of the properties or any fatalities. If the sheet roof had come off and hit someone they would have gone.”
Heavy rain also caused disruption to commuters on Monday night, with one tree collapsing on Laneside Road in Haslingden and blocking traffic.
Several flood warnings for the River Irwell and Upper River Irwell were issued by the Environment Agency, but lifted on Tuesday morning.
Rossendale Police said flooding was reported on Ewood Lane in Haslingden, and there were delays to buses and a broken down lorry in Rawtenstall.
Sharneyford Primary School was forced to ask parents to pick children up from school early on Friday, November 18 following heavy snowfall.
Farm waste collections were delayed and residents in Bacup complained that ungritted roads made them ‘prisoners in their own home’. Police reported that some side streets were impassable due to the snow and urged motorists to park considerately if leaving vehicles on main roads.
The forecast for the next week looks more settled. It should be mostly dry with daytime temperatures ranging from 3-60C, although temperatures at night will be hovering around freezing.