THE roof of a football stand was ripped apart when Storm Angus swept through East Lancashire.

Gusts of around 40mph battered the area including Bacup Borough FC’s ground.

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Firefighters were also called to Burnley and Rawtenstall on Monday night as flood water rose, with a small number of homes affected.

People battled to stop sheets of metal from the club main stand blowing onto houses in Grasmere Terrace, behind the Bacup ground.

The damage will cost the club tens of thousands of pounds and matches cannot be played at the stadium until the roof is repaired.

Manager Brent Peters said he was extremely worried when he was alerted to what had happened.

He said: “A few people got hold of me saying the stand’s roof was about to come off, it was horrible.

“I hurried down with a couple of other guys and we could see the roof being ripped to pieces.

“We managed to get up there and batten it down but it’s now in such poor condition.

“I can see why the people in the houses nearby were terrified, the roof could have gone straight through their windows.

“We need to find the finances to come in and get the job done properly. We’ve pinned it down for the time being to stop it coming off.

“But this isn’t fit for people to watch football under. )ur next game looks worryingly unlikely to be playable here.

“We are a community club and we have lots of good people who work here and incredible fans.

“This is just another chapter in its history.”

Heavy rainfall caused flooding across the region with several homes subject to flooding in Burnley.

Firefighters from the town were called to Calderbrook Avenue after water entered three houses, up to one foot deep at its peak.

A fire service spokesman said: “There was water damage on the walls but there was no serious structural damage.

“No-one was injured and everyone managed to get out of the houses at the time.”

Martin Bell, a Glen View Road resident, said several gardens in his road were submerged in more than a foot of water.

He said: “The water came up so quickly and we were all outside with buckets trying to get the water away from our houses.

“Sandbags were used to keep it away from doors and anything valuable.

“It was worrying how quickly the water just appeared, it came out of the ground so fast.”

Environment Agency teams worked throughout the night to clear debris following reports of high water levels in Rawtenstall.

There was a fallen tree in Haslingden Road and flooding in Ewood Lane. The River Irwell was seen to be very high but lowered to normal levels once the rain eased.

The county council had emergency teams and subcontractors working throughout the night to unblock drains and clear roads of fallen trees.

A police spokesman said: “We advised everyone to avoid the area unless absolutely necessary while the water subsided.”