Major incident halted after flooding prompts evacuation of nearly 1,000 people

A major incident has been brought under control after flooding led to the evacuation of almost 1,000 people.

Fire crews across Greater Manchester attended more than 100 incidents following the flooding, brought on by heavy rain through New Year’s Eve and into New Year’s Day.

In neighboring Cheshire, the Bridgewater Canal burst its banks when an aqueduct was damaged during the rains.

In a joint update on Thursday, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS), Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) said no injuries were reported. reported and that they were now focusing on recovery efforts.

The major incident was declared at 4am on New Year’s Day and mountain rescue teams were deployed to respond.

Chief Fire Officer Dave Russell said: “Flooding on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day caused considerable damage and disruption across Greater Manchester. We evacuated nearly 1,000 people, half of them on boats and many houses flooded.

“Over the past 36 hours, fire crews have worked tirelessly to keep people safe alongside Greater Manchester Police, North West Ambulance Service, Mountain Rescue, local councils and a certain number of partners. I would like to thank everyone involved in the response for their hard work and dedication.

Crews used motorized inflatable boats to evacuate 445 people from the Britannia Hotel in Didsbury and around 400 people were evacuated from Meadow Mill apartments in Stockport after a power and water supply outage.

Cheshire Police said they worked with colleagues across Greater Manchester to evacuate properties following damage to the Bridgewater Canal Aqueduct, near Lymm.

Drone footage, filmed on Wednesday by Josh Taylor of the YouTube channel Taylors Aboard a Narrowboat, showed fields flooded with water surrounding the waterway at Little Bollington.