Rain doesn’t stop play... but it does stop drivers
FIREFIGHTERS were despatched to drain flooded roads over the weekend as highways in West Lancashire and Sefton struggled after heavy downfall.
Parts of Croston, Parbold and Newburgh were all badly affected as numerous roads were closed to traffic, while motorists had to decide whether or not to risk travelling through flooded streets.
Roads in areas including Southport, Burscough and Skelmersdale were also affected, while a video showing deep water through the centre of Tarleton village was viewed thousands of times on Facebook.
In Lathom, the car park at the Ship pub was left entirely underwater.
Rail networks were also badly affected, with flooding around Parbold and New Lane meaning speed restrictions were put in place between Wigan and Southport.
One Southport resident said he had attempted to drive through West Lancashire towards Wigan on Sunday but hit persistent problems.
He said: “We were driving along and the puddles seemed to get worse and worse. We had to watch the cars ahead go through just so we could see how deep they were and if it would be safe.
“In Newburgh, we hit one road closure where the fire brigade was there so we turned around to find another route but ran into another huge puddle and ended up having to turn around because it was too risky.
“You just worried that the car would get badly damaged or worse, just get stuck and you’d be stranded.”
Weather and flood warnings have continued through the week, with rising levels in the River Alt carrying the potential to cause issues in Plex Moss, Downholland Moss, Formby, Great Altcar and Maghull.Other areas, including Parbold, Rufford, Mawdesley, Croston, Bretherton, Tarleton, and Hesketh Bank were also placed at risk as a result of high levels in the Lower River Douglas.
West Lancashire resident Mary McNally also ran into problems at the weekend and said: “I was taking my grandson to his martial arts in Tarleton from Banks and had to do a detour to get to the high school as they were having to pump the water off the road. It was terrible.
“I hope the shops weren’t damaged as they have some lovely shops in that area.”
Alison Evans said: “Investment in drainage systems is what’s needed. The council keep on adding homes to known flood plains without addressing the drainage upgrades needed.”
More stormy weather could hit the region today (Thursday). According to the US National Hurricane Centre, 600-mile wide Hurricane Lorenzo is expected to spin close to Britain.
Forecasters say the storm – one of the strongest ever to affect Europe – might reach Ireland or the UK but will have significantly reduced in strength.
The Met Office says it is difficult to predict where exactly it will hit, although it could bring “very wet and windy conditions” across the UK.
A Met Office spokesperson said: “In terms of how it could hit the UK, the short answer is, we don’t know yet.
“It could travel across the UK and bring very wet and windy conditions on Thursday.
“Or it could go further south and bypass us completely.”
HAVE you been affected by flooding? What do you think? Please email your comments and pictures to reporter Jamie Lopez at: jamie.lopez@reachplc.com