HOME owners and businesses are counting the cost of extensive floods caused by heavy rain.

Ten homes in Longfellow Avenue, Daubhill, were swamped with sewage after the downpour caused drains to overflow and the sewer to collapse.

Residents spent hours cleaning up after the flash floods -- just a few miles from Bolton town centre where shoppers basked in the sun.

Firefighters were busy tackling the problems across Greater Manchester.

A Little Hulton pub sustained hundreds of pounds worth of damage after its cellar was flooded.

Roads in Westhoughton, Farnworth, Walkden and Over Hulton were all hit by floods as drains failed to deal with the downpour.

Park Road, a major route into Westhoughton, was brought to a standstill for an hour as drains overflowed to block both carriageways.

A manhole cover was knocked out by the force of the water at the junction with Molyneux Road.

Homes in Longfellow Avenue, Over Hulton, Fletcher Street and Windermere Road, Farnworth, and Newearth Road, Walkden, were also hit.

Peter White, manager of the White Lion Hotel, in Manchester Road West, Little Hulton, described the flood as "monsoon-style conditions".

He said: "It was up to the top of my legs at one point and I was standing on tip toe. The jukebox has been ruined and I've lost hundreds of pounds worth of stock.

"It has flooded here before but never like this. We were worried it was going to get into the main pub."

The rain created chaos for the Westhoughton High School Fair, which was almost cancelled after the roof leaked.

It took two hours to clear the water and the majority of the events were held indoors.