Fire crews rescue animals following heavy rain

Heavy rainfall across many areas of Greater Manchester and the Northwest during Friday afternoon and evening led to some localised flooding.

Fire crews were called to deal with a variety of emergencies varying from making property safe , assisting people from their homes temporarily and even assisting the RSPCA with rescuing a number of animals.

The RSPCA requested assistance from GMFRS shortly after 9:30pm to deal with a number of animals on allotments on Kellet Street, Rochdale. The crews who attended , including specialist water incident crews, rescued six horses and four dogs from the flooded allotment area, before handing them over to the RSPCA.

In Wigan during Friday afternoon and evening fire crews dealt with an incident on Beresford Street where 14 houses were flooded with water up to waist deep – firefighters used high volume pumps to lower the water and also utilized an inshore rescue boat to assist a number of residents to temporarily leave their homes.

Shortly after midnight fire crews were called to two separate areas, Openshaw Fold Road, Bury and Parksides Close, Radcliffe where it is thought the local river had overflowed.

Station Manager Paul Duggan said: "We have had a number of calls from around 10.15am on Friday morning. Predominantly our action has been to give advice as the situation has not been life threatening and in that case we will normally advise people to contact the appropriate organizations who can assist, like the local authority Highways department.

" Although the rain stopped in many areas of Greater Manchester overnight, there is still residual surface water as a result and water course levels remain high, the forecast for the region is for more rainfall during Saturday evening. We would urge people to take extra care if they are going out anywhere - allow extra time for your journey and if you are driving make allowances for the road conditions, adjusting your speed and braking distance as appropriate.

"And if you do go near ponds, lake and rivers, remember they may well be swollen with the increased rainfall, so extra care is needed."

The Environment Agency has asked residents in Greater Manchester to remain vigilant and prepare for flooding, after the Met Office warned of very heavy rain.

Full detail about the situation and what action could be taken by individuals to protect themselves and their homes can be found at http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk