Farmer frees flood-hit schoolkids

6:20pm Monday 21st January 2008

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CHILDREN were carried to safety on a tractor after flooding at a village school.

A quick-thinking Sabden policeman enlisted the help of a farmer to ensure around 70 Sabden Primary School pupils were not stranded.

Farmer Chris Ford, of CR Ford and Co, came to the rescue with his tractor and trailer to take children across the water, which was flowing around 9mph.

The drama occurred after torrential rain caused Churnclough Reservoir to overflow.

Water from the reservoir should be directed to the culvert at the bottom of Wesley Street, but rocks and other debris had blocked the culvert.

Water overflowed down Wesley Road across the junction and down Whalley Road, in front of the school, for a quarter of a mile.

The tractor arrived at 3pm and made six trips taking a dozen children each time until they were safely with their parents.

The school was not damaged but houses in Whalley Road were flooded.

Edward Gill, 23, of Cockshotts Farm, said: "My best friend Chris brought the trailer.

"It's an example of villagers sticking together when we must.

"It took about half an hour to get everybody from the school."

Bethany Ashton, nine, said: "The teachers divided us into groups to get on the trailer and there were about 15 other people on it with us. It was scary but exciting."

Headteacher Sandra Dundon, said: "Whilst the pupils were excited about it, there were serious safety issues that had to be taken into consideration.

"We allowed parents to collect children early and we did not allow children to set off on their own.

"The school will open as normal today."

PC Paul Sherratt said: "If all the residents and the farmers hadn't come together the situation could have been far worse.

"The water was flowing between eight and nine miles per hour at its peak."

Christine Barrott, 40, of Clitheroe Road, said: "I have lived in the village for 18 years and this is about the worst I have seen.

"It was frightening."