HEAVY rain caused flooding and a spate of road accidents across the region last night.

Fire crews used special pumping equipment at the moorland children's home, Crowthorne School, yesterday tea-time.

The basement of the school became badly flooded forcing the school, on high ground off Broadhead Road, Edgworth, to alert emergency services. Fire fighters also battled to stop water seeping through to a farmhouse at Higher Whittaker Farm on Longworth Road at Belmont.

Waterlogged fields flooded the pond next to the house causing the level to rise dangerously high.

But fire fighters from Bolton North Station managed to prevent the house from being damaged.

Meanwhile, Bury fire crews dealt with a serious flooding at Freight Broker Services, Porritt Street, Bury, when a culvert became blocked.

More than two feet of water washed through the warehouse and computer room of the premises.

The business was forced to close for the day as fire crews battled for four hours to control the water levels.

The heavy rain flooded roads throughout Bolton and resulted in a spate of minor accidents.

Six people needed hospital treatment but no one was seriously injured.

And today police criticised the driving standards of some motorists who ignored the conditions. Sgt Jim Unsworth of the Bolton Police traffic unit said: "Many accidents could have been avoided yesterday if drivers had taken notice of the conditions and driven accordingly.

"Motorists should use their common sense and reduce their speed in such appalling driving conditions."

The Bolton Police traffic unit alone dealt with four accidents in less than one hour yesterday.

One driver suffered minor injuries in a concertina-style crash in Plodder Lane, Bolton, shortly after 4.30pm and 15 minutes later another driver suffered whiplash injuries in a crash in Chorley Old Road, Bolton.

A driver also had a lucky escape on a rain soaked road when he swerved to avoid a dog.

The man lost control of a transit van in Forest Road, Bolton. The van crashed into a lamp post but the driver was not injured.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.