Flood warning as more rain forecast for East Lancashire (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Flood warning as more rain forecast for East Lancashire

8:06am Tuesday 25th September 2012 in News By Dan Clough, Reporter

EAST Lancashire was on flood alert last night as several rivers were dangerously close to overflowing.

Heavy rain battered the region and is expected to continue for the next few days.

There was disruption on Northern Rail’s Blackburn to Clitheroe service as the line flooded between Whalley and Langho.

As the hometime rush hour started there were no trains on the line and no estimates as to when services would resume.

And the AA was warning people to be careful if driving through flood water.

The Environment Agency put flood alerts on the Rivers Ribble, Darwen, Irwell, Calder and Hodder.

Steve Moore, regional director for the North West Environment Agency, said: “We are expecting persistent and heavy rainfall for much of today.

“We strongly urge people to sign up to flood warnings, keep a close eye on local weather forecasts and be prepared for the possibility of flooding.

“We also ask that people stay safe, by staying away from swollen rivers and not attempting to drive through floodwater.

“The Environment Agency already has teams out on the ground checking on flood defences and clearing any blockages in order to reduce the risk of flooding as much as possible.”

The AA said the service had experienced a high number of problems caused by the rain. Nationally, it expected to attend about 15,000 breakdowns yesterday, compared to about 10,500 on an average Monday.

A spokesman said blocked drains could quickly escalate in rural areas and drivers should be wary of driving through floodwater.

Darron Burness, the AA’s head of special operations, said: “Don’t risk entering flood water as not only is it hard to tell how deep it is but it often has hidden dangers like debris and dislodged manhole covers.”