THE Chorley area took a battering from the weather -- with forecasters predicting perhaps more to come.

When the heavens opened, widespread chaos ensued, with roads, homes and railway lines being flooded, and many rivers bursting their banks.

Even the emergency services said they were swamped -- with calls -- from worried residents fearing flooding.

Locals journeying out of Chorley faced travel misery as roads were blocked, and it was a double whammy for rail commuters who also faced disruption from emergency engineering work.

The A674 between Wheelton and Blackburn was submerged; Blackburn Road (the A675) also become blocked at Higher Wheelton; and flooding was reported at Court Lane, Chorley, Skew Bridge, Chorley, Viaduct Road, Hoghton, the A49 at Euxton, and on roads in Coppull, Croston and Whittle-le-Woods.

Motorway drivers also fell prey to the chaos when four cars and an HGV were involved in a pile-up on the M61 at Botany Bay on Monday just before 7am, reportedly due to the standing water.

On Monday night Chorley Borough Council staff were on stand-by as high tide was expected on the River Ribble at Croston in the early hours. Several houses were already flooded by early evening.

Council leader Jack Wilson confirmed contingency plans -- including evacuation if necessary -- had been made.

As the Chorley Citizen went to press, more rain -- possibly heavy -- was forecast across the borough.

Despite the forecast, an Environment Agency spokeswoman, said: "We are now on an all-clear for Lancashire. We don't have any flood watches or warnings on any Lancashire rivers at the moment.

"The rivers have been dropping back all afternoon, but obviously we will continue to monitor the situation."

CHORLEY firefighters spent much of Monday pumping out sodden properties and rescuing motorists trapped in flooding in their cars.

And with the possibility of more rain on its way, the emergency services have asked people not to panic.

John Taylor of Lancashire Fire and Rescue said: "It's been very busy, with the prospect of more heavy rain to come.

"The map of incidents has been quite an eyeful to behold.

"There were a lot of genuine cases where houses were swamped, in Higher Wheelton for example, but there were a distressing number of none-emergency type calls.

"We are asking the public to act responsibly before dialling 999." FLOODED out: One of the worst hit areas of Croston