SHOPS and pubs in Bacup were mopping up yesterday after torrential rain caused flooding in the town centre.

A manhole cover in the Day and Nite store, in King Street, burst off and flooded the shop at about 10am yesterday. It took staff until 2pm to clear up and re-open.

Shop manager, Darleen Green, said: "The water came out like a fountain in the middle of the shop.

"Luckily, we didn't have any customers in at the time. We had to close and it was at least 2pm before the shop was even half fit to reopen."

Terry Egan, landlord of the Swan Hotel, in Market Street, said his cellar was waist deep with water after a manhole cover in the road burst off. He said the drains were blocked and the water had nowhere to go but into his pub.

Mr Egan, 53, who has run the pub with his wife, Lynda, for nearly 11 years, said: "Fortunately, it is all kegs down there, otherwise we would have lost a lot of stock.

"Something needs to be done about the drains -- this has happened about seven or eight times sincein the 11 years we have been here."