A GRADE-II listed building is underwater to its roof and main road into Chorley was closed after severe flooding causes havoc near a popular park.

Flooding has plagued the road near the entrance to Astley Park and after recent downpours, police had to close it for the second time in less than a week.

Crews attended the scene on Southport Road to try and pump out floodwater, but the road was closed this morning.

Photographs from the scene show the historic Ackhurst Lodge nearly submerged by floodwater and there are concerns over damage to the building.

Leader of Chorley Council, Councillor Alistair Bradley, said: "We have sadly witnessed severe flooding on Southport Road, Chorley – where the highway dips just outside Ackhurst Lodge – for some years now and it is getting worse each time.

"Many people including ourselves, County Cllrs, our MP Lindsay Hoyle and many residents have demanded that Lancashire County Council take action to alleviate the problem and make sure flooding outside Ackhurst Lodge can become a thing of the past.

"However, my immediate concern – and the focus of Chorley Council's endeavours right now – is to clear away the huge volume water to make the area safe again and reopen the road.

"Working with partners including the emergency services we have got a number of pumps in action to do this – with more on the way.

"I would like to pay tribute to all the people including our own officers who are working tirelessly in terrible conditions to help get rid of the flood water. Hopefully we can get a permanent solution as soon as possible and LCC appear to have committed to this.

"We will be updating our residents regularly on Facebook and Twitter so please look out for further information there."

Chorley MP Sir Lindsay Hoyle, said: "Clearly the flooding on Southport Road is causing major disruption and with the weather it will take time to clear.

"It is extremely frustrating that this problem has been the case for the past few years and despite finding the blockages in the culvert Lancashire Country Council has failed to act to clear it and this is why we are seeing it like it is and filled the old Lodge and road.

"I am working with the council and other agencies to find a solution quickly."

John Davies, head of highways for Lancashire County Council said: "We received a report before Christmas that the culvert under Southport Road was being obstructed by a large number of logs and branches which had washed into the river following tree felling operations in the area while awaiting collection.

"We have worked closely with colleagues at Chorley Borough Council and highway teams have attended and removed as much of this debris as they could, however a large log had become firmly wedged in the culvert which unfortunately they have been unable to remove and is restricting the flow of water through the culvert.

"We now need to wait until the water levels have subsided enough to allow someone to safely enter the culvert and cut up the log, however in case this is not possible to do safely, we are also looking into other options to remove the log using remotely controlled equipment.

"We will continue to monitor the situation and take action as required to ensure that the area remains safe."