Homes flooded as storm lashes town

UP to a dozen homes were flooded at Warrington early today as torrential rain overloaded sewers and drainage pipes.
Thousands of gallons of water and raw sewage inundated houses in Densham Avenue, Longford at around 4am, stranding residents on the upper floors.
Fire crews raced to the scene but were powerless to help because there was nowhere to pump the flood water to.
Homes were flooded with water and raw sewage.
An angry Coun Mike Hannon was at the scene early this morning – blaming the borough council, the Environment Agency and United Utilities for failing to predict the problem.
He said: “Densham Avenue is renowned for flooding. This has happened many times before.
“The forecast was for heavy rain – it could not have been more precise. The forecasters got it right.
“But no precautions were taken. No sandbags were taken to the area.
“I have been here for three hours and still no-one has turned up from the council.
“These people need help. They need re-housing.
“Families are standing around in their gardens because their houses are full of stinking flood water and sewage. It has even been backing up through the toilets.
“The residents have had to block the roads themselves to stop traffic making waves which sweep into their homes and made matters worse.
“Thousands of pounds worth of damage has been caused to carpets, furniture and electrical goods. It will be months before some of these houses are again habitable.
“There is a guy here from United Utilities and he says he has never known it so bad.”
Elsewhere in Warrington there were reports of flooding – at Lymm and in Sankey Valley Park. But nothing on the scale of Densham Avenue.