Phil McCann News, Manchester, Liverpool and
Paul BurnellNorth West
People whose homes have been flooded twice in 10 months have said they are now terrified of rain.
Residents of Craville Grove in Hindley Green, Wigan, were deluged on New Year’s Day, and then again earlier this month.
Janine and Derek Walsh had only recently restored their home, only to then see water rising up from the ground and flowing into the house.
“It was so traumatic. I never thought we would have to go through this again,” said Mrs Walsh.
Mr Walsh said: “We can’t determine a point of entry it just seems to rise.
“There’s a blockage somewhere. All that’s needed is for it to be identified and cleared.
“You want to rebuild but what’s the point?
“You are living in constant fear of the rain.”
Mrs Walsh added: “It’s really affecting us. This can’t keep happening.
“We were devastated. We had got our home back to how we wanted.”
Wigan Council said that since the New Year it had worked closely with the Environment Agency and “inspected and cleared the culverted watercourse, with a blockage removed as recently as 11 September”.
It added: “Unfortunately during periods of high rainfall, there is a risk of flooding at this location and we absolutely recognise the impact that this has on households and residents.
“Since the flooding at the weekend our team has carried out further inspections, and we will be meeting with the Environment Agency and United Utilities to discuss next steps this week.”
An Environment Agency spokesman said it is working with Wigan Council, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, United Utilities and residents to explore potential solutions to reduce the risk of flooding in Carville Grove and across Hindley Green. “