BOLTON was buffeted by blizzards as Britain went on storm alert today.

Overnight torrential rain caused widespread flooding in the area and snow caused massive rush hour tailbacks.

One Bolton school was closed after a nearby road flooded.

Emergency services worked flat out to try to deal with the hundreds of calls -- and the fire brigade even brought in their special rescue boat after reports of a car trapped at Smithills.

Blackspots included Bradshaw, Horwich, Chorley New Road, Barrow Bridge, Smithills, Farnworth and The Haulgh.

Many drivers abandoned their vehicles on their way into Bolton creating even more obstacles for those commuters determined to reach the town centre.

Gale force winds wreaked havoc for council workers rushing to clear a Farnworth road blocked by a tree.

The wind and rain split the tree in two in Daffodil Road and part of it crashed into the road, missing a parked Ford Escort by inches.

Dawn Bethell, whose car was almost hit, said: "I couldn't believe it this morning when I got up and saw the tree in the road.

"It was blocking the road and nobody could drive past it.

"But the council workers got here very quickly and have moved the tree with hydraulic lifting equipment."

Residents of Barrow Bridge Road, Barrow Bridge, face a costly clean-up operation after their cars and houses were badly flooded.

John Mckenna found his four-wheel drive jeep submerged in water and helped a neighbour who had set-off in his car, but could only drive a few yards along the road before becoming stuck.

Mr Mckenna said: "We really are swimming in water and there is no way my wife and I will be going to work today.

"The man whose car got stuck in the middle of the road was just floating around in water.

"Our carpets are ruined and it will take a lot of time to clear-up."

Bolton Council, who had 100 floods reported, blamed fallen leaves blocking gulleys as the main cause of the floods.

Across the town, traffic police were called out to help pull abandoned vehicles from deep flood water.

They closed off Smithills Dean Road this morning after a huge flood at the bottom of the road near Moss Bank Way.

Pupils at Smithills School were sent home as only around 60 out of 1,600 pupils managed to struggle in and floodwater came within an inch of affecting the upper school building.

John Lawson, headteacher, said: "The decision to close the school was taken in the interests of pupil safety when the police decided to close Smithills Dean Road.

"Not only were pupils not able to get in, but we would have had a problem if there had been an emergency because the emergency services could not have got through."

As rush hour traffic built-up, officers pulled a stranded Vauxhall Astra car from Bury New Road, while colleagues were called to Moss Bank Way to clear a Volkswagen Golf car which was blocking the carriageway.

In Vale Avenue, Horwich, one householder awoke to the sound of water lapping in her cellar.

Miss Colette Grant said: "The water is about five feet deep and every time traffic goes past, it is sending waves into the cellars.

"It has reached the top of the steps and I am having to take all my furniture and possessions upstairs.

"This happens every year yet nothing is every done."

Dozens of callers swamped police operators, with officers being called to Smithills Dean Road to close the carriageway which had also been hit with floodwater.

The Beehive roundabout, at the junction of Chorley New Road and De Havilland Way, was reportedly under two feet of water early today.

At 7.30am, police officers were called to Raimond Street, Halliwell, after a tree crashed onto two cars as gale force winds buffeted the town.

Bradshaw was one of the worst hit areas with many motorists having to abandon their vehicles after getting caught out at Bradshaw Brow.

Traffic was nose to tail as drivers tried to pass the floods.

Motorists in Horwich had to leave their cars after they became stranded in flooding on Winter Hey Lane.

Traffic on Chorley New Road also became stuck in tailbacks up to and past the Bee Hive roundabout and a similar situation was reported on the Chorley Old Road approach into Bolton.

And firefighters spent two hour pumping water out of flooded Albion Mill in St Mark's Street when water leaked through the roof.

Floodwater up to car bumper level caused congestion in Mort Lane -- the main route from Little Hulton and Tyldesley.

Traffic was brought to a standstill in Mosley Common Road between Tyldesley and Boothstown because of flooding at Parr Bridge.

Vehicles slowed to a crawl with water a foot deep between Atherton and Leigh near the Old Hall Mill Lane/Leigh Road junction, with more problems in Gloucester Street, Atherton and at Bickershaw.

Bus passengers faced delays on their journeys today with many routes affected by the severe weather conditions.

Stagecoach Ribble services were running at least 20 or 30 minutes late this morning and some routes into Manchester were delayed by at least one hour.

Chris Bowles from Stagecoach said: "Our services have been seriously disrupted in Bolton because so many roads are blocked-off or flooded.

"All our buses are on the road, but most journeys have been delayed.

A spokesman for North West Water said: "The rain has been incessant and the storm drains could not cope with the extraordinary conditions."