RISING floodwater could not halt the Archbishop of Liverpool's reopening celebrations at a refurbished Leigh church.

Soon after the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Liverpool, the Most Rev Peter Kelly, had blessed Our Lady of the Rosary, the cellars of the Plank Lane church were full to the brim.

Emergency workers frantically manned the pumps outside as the water levels rose during the consecration ceremony. And soon after the service of blessing, parishioners watched firemen pump out the church cellars.

Parish Priest Father Peter Devlin said: "It was a lovely night as the Archbishop came to bless our 61-year-old church after extensive refurbishment.

"As the consecration continued, the level was rising and we could see council workmen outside.

"Fortunately, the church was not damaged but on Wednesday, firemen did a superb job spending eight hours pumping six to eight feet of water out of the cellars.

"We have lost the heating because of the flood and the gas-powered system will have to be replaced."

Yesterday, flooding concerns returned as drainage water started to seep back into the church.