Communities across the North West have been hit severe flooding over Christmas and the New Year after a series of December storms wreaked havoc on the country. The Army and an RAF chinook have helped avert disaster in the Lancashire village of Croston where three severe flood warnings were in place.
Severe flooding has caused widespread disruption throughout the morning causing loss of power to customers in Rochdale and Lancashire with 10,000 properties currently off supply.
30,000 properties are usually supplied with electricity from the main substation in Rochdale. Engineers from Electricity North West shifted 10,000 properties from the substation an hour before the flooding hit to secure supplies.
The remaining 20,000 properties were affected by power cuts at 10am, engineers restored power to 10,000 of those by 12.15pm.
Engineers from Electricity North West are onsite and working in difficult conditions to repair damage caused by heavy rain and subsequent floods in Lancashire.
Prince Harry meets soldiers deployed to flood-ravaged regions over Christmas to thank them for their efforts
Residents of the Ribble Valley can apply for up to £5,000 in funding to protect their homes against future flooding.
Small Business Minister, Anna Soubry to visit flood hit Croston to announce more funding to help get people back on their feet.