Sudden, severe, and with 'no warning' - residents left asking questions after devastating floods

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Just hours after Manchester welcomed in the new year, parts of the region became submerged in rapidly rising water. Coming after torrential rainfall across the north west, Greater Manchester awoke on New Year's Day to scenes unlike anything residents said they had ever seen before.

Over 1,300 people were forced to evacuate from homes and hotels, and vehicles and properties were badly damaged. This part of the country is no stranger to floods, nor heavy rainfall - huge floods in 2021 and 2015 also saw people evacuated from homes and huge damage to public infrastructure.

But this time, some in south Manchester say they are worried flood gates were not opened until it was too late. Those in Didsbury, Stockport, and Trafford have been particularly badly affected after the River Mersey burst its banks early in the morning on New Year's Day.

The Environment Agency have insisted their assets operated as required. At a kennels in Urmston where around 25 dogs were staying, owners told the M.E.N they didn't receive a flood notification until around 9am - 45 minutes after the worst flooding started.