Several streets across north-west England in the United Kingdom were submerged after more than 20 hours of relentless rainfall triggered 28 flood warnings.
The torrential downpours led to abandoned vehicles in areas such as Altrincham and Salford in Greater Manchester, while officials in Warrington, Cheshire, declared a major standby incident that was later stood down.
In Greater Manchester, the Environment Agency issued alerts for Trafford, Stockport and south Manchester. Warnings were also in place in parts of Cheshire, Merseyside and Lancashire.
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service reported that three men had to be rescued from their car in Swinton, Salford, at around 04:00 BST after becoming trapped by rising floodwater.
By late Sunday morning, all flood warnings had been withdrawn as water levels began to recede, according to the Environment Agency.
Raymond Wright, a resident of Penketh in Warrington, described the flooding on his street as “scary.”
“We’re at the bottom of the slope so everything that’s coming down is coming this way so it’s perfectly obvious to us that the drains aren’t coping with it at all,” he said.
“We do get this quite regularly – as soon as we have a few hours of rain, you can guarantee we’ll have a lake down here.”
He added that residents were “lucky” a local councillor had managed to arrange a pump to drain the water.
Three warnings were placed around Warrington, including at the Sankey Brook. At Causey Bridge, levels were just 10cm below the flooding threshold shortly after 08:00 BST, before starting to fall.
Sandbags were distributed in parts of Penketh, while Warrington South MP Sarah Hall urged residents to remain cautious.
She said: “I know how worrying it can be when flood alerts are issued, especially for families who have experienced it before.”
In Merseyside, alerts were issued in locations including Liverpool and the Wirral, while in Lancashire, warnings covered areas near the River Darwen in Ewood and Waterfall in Blackburn.
The Environment Agency explained that the alerts indicated flooding was likely, with households and businesses advised to take action to minimise damage.
The Met Office had earlier issued a yellow weather warning for heavy rainfall, lasting from 09:00 BST on Saturday until 06:00 BST on Sunday.
