Walkden town centre was under water after thousands of gallons filled the streets after workmen smashed into two huge mains.

Walkden flooded in November 1993

This was the scene in November 1993 as the town centre resembled a lake and police had to divert traffic away from the areas where the floodwater was at its deepest.

Thousands of pounds worth of damage was caused to shops, roads and pavements as water several feet deep flooded the town centre for more than 10 hours.

It was believed workers laying underground TV cables had fractured the 54-inch and 48-inch pipes carrying water from the Lake District to Manchester via the Thirlmere Aquaduct.

Firefighters tried to pump water away from the shops but a number were damaged and the Tesco store on Campbell Way also suffered severe damage to its warehouse.

A nearby resident said: “It was unbelievable, there was water everywhere. It just kept springing up through the pavements.”