A BID to stop the floods in Leigh and surrounding areas from happening again has been discussed by councillors.

The flood in Plank Lane, which swamped Our Lady of The Rosary RC Church, cost Wigan Metro £17,000 in emergency works during the heavy rains in October last year.

Engineers now say the "immediate risk" of flooding has been reduced by work to a drainage channel from a culvert under the canal into Pennington Flash.

However the experts cannot guarantee future flooding will not occur, but the Environment Agency has employed drainage consultants to study the whole catchment area around Plank Lane to control the water level of Pennington Flash.

In Bickershaw's Bolton House Road, where a large number of homes were flooded, engineers found an overflow from Fan Lodge was to blame and a private company Banks which owns the land has agreed to carry out works.

While in Bag Lane in Atherton councillors heard that North West Water and Wigan Metro will carry out sewerage works to prevent sewer surcharging.