Flood alerts in place across borough

Photo: Greg Couzens

The Roch looking high in Rochdale town centre (pictured early February)

Flood alerts are in place across the borough, with rainfall forecast until this evening (Tuesday 10 March).

River levels are expected to remain high until midday, after reaching the flood alert threshold at around 10pm last night. As of 9.45am, the river in Littleborough has been recorded at 1.01m, and at 1.36m in Rochdale.

The Environment Agency says there is a “possibility of flooding for low lying land and roads around the Rivers Irwell, Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries.”

At around 6.40am this morning, a vehicle hit standing water on the M62 motorway and span across the westbound carriageway between junctions 20 (Thornham) and 19 (Rochdale).

The collision was cleared by 8.30am and over six miles of queueing traffic was reported back to J22 by Highways England.