RESIDENTS were forced to bale out their own street as torrential rain lashed the town over the weekend.

Brassed-off Boltonians were out in force in the Smithills area on Saturday afternoon - with bucketfuls of soggy leaves.

Furious Gillian Bell, of Forest Road, claims a river of water more than two feet deep gushed past her home during the height of the storm.

Ponds in the nearby Moss Bank Park burst their banks causing the water hazard. Residents claim motorists were left stranded in the flood waters.

Gillian says Bolton Council has been inundated with complaints over poor drainage on the Moss Lane estate for the past three years.

She said: " The drains were full of rotting leaves. Residents were out in the street filling buckets with leaves to try and ease the flooding. Cars were stalled all over the place. Residents around here have had enough."

Bolton escaped the worst of the stormy weather as high winds and rain hit the country this weekend.

But 10 children were evacuated from the play area at the back of the Beehive Pub in Horwich on Saturday afternoon as a "river" of muddy water came pouring in.

Staff spotted the water coming in under the wall and it quickly filled the play area, called Wacky Warehouse, with ankle-deep water.

Firefighters spent three hours pumping water out of the area and unblocking drains before staff began the clean up operation.

Angela Morris, from the pub, said: "It was like a river flowing over the carpet.

"It couldn't have come at a worse time for us with the school holidays starting.

"However thanks to efforts of the fire service we should be ready to open again today."

Fire crews were alerted after an electricity black-out at Newlands Nursing Home on Chorley Old Road at 4am yesterday.

Flood water in the cellar caused the short circuit and fire crews used specialist pumping equipment to empty the property.

Greater Manchester police say the bad weather activated hundreds of burglar alarms resulting in a high number of turn outs.

Police say high winds brought down many trees in the Warrington and Leigh area.

Holcroft Lane near Culcheth was closed from 8pm on Saturday night after a car smashed into the back of a coach.

Eccles fire fighters released the trapped car driver, from the Warrington area, who was taken to Hope Hospital suffering serious injuries.

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