Cottages flooded in rivers red alert

Firefighters in Rossendale went to Holcombe Road, in Haslingden, to pump out water in the basement of two cottages last night.

Fire crews from Rawtenstall were called to the properties at 6pm. They used a portable mobile pump to remove the water from the kitchen's.

Leading Firefighter Glen Barrett said: "We were called out by the residents and it was lucky we got there when we did because if the water had reached a couple of inches higher it would have affected the electrics."

Residents and business owners living near the Ribble and Darwen rivers were also placed on flood alert last night as East Lancashire was hit by a deluge.

Steady rainfall prompted the Environment Agency to put the Ribble in Ribchester on flood warning, the highest state of alert, at 5pm yesterday.

But the red alert was downgraded at 11pm after the 8.30pm high tide failed to bring the anticipated flooding.

Residents living around the River Darwen in Hollins Grove, Darwen, and Waterfall, Mill Hill, were put on flood watch by the Environment Agency, the second highest warning, at the same time. But the rain had tailed off by 8.30pm and the warning was downgraded to flood watch for the Ribble and was cancelled completely for the River Darwen.

Inspector Steven Howarth, of Blackburn Police, said: "Several properties immediately next to the river in Ribchester were sand-bagged but at the 8.30pm high tide, when they thought there would be problems, the flood never materialised. There was no flooding overnight."

A spokesman for the fire service added: "We were given the flood warning early on our shift but the rain slowed down and we had no problems."

In Ribchester, two properties, Harwood House and the Ribchester Arms, were put on specific flood warnings following problems in the past.

'Flood warning' means residents and businesses must act immediately as flooding is expected.

The weather forecast for today was scattered showers with clear spells and strong winds.