'All I had was a kettle, and I was living on packet soup and biscuits'

New Year’s Day 2025: It was a time of heartbreak and devastation across large swathes of Greater Manchester as a huge storm swept across the UK with a vengeance. One of the worst hit communities was Platt Bridge, where homes and businesses, including an Iceland food store, were inundated as the normally benign waterways of Borsdane Brook, Hey Brook and the River Douglas became raging torrents. It prompted a swift announcement by the Government of £2.4bn to be spent on flood defences in the north west, following pressure from the recently-elected MP for the area, Josh Simons, although we now know this is for long-term flood mitigation. It’s no secret that after the floodwater had receded and the emergency services had done their work, the aftermath for the residents and businesses was tough, especially as many of the affected properties had no flood insurance. This is because the area was similarly flooded in 2015, an event after which the insurance companies opted to withdraw flood cover. For resident Eileen Biggy, 86, who has lived in one of the affected streets - Walthew Lane - for 63 years, the fallout from the New Year’s Day flood was long and drawn out. “Like a few people, I was put up in a Travel Lodge by the council for three months while things got sorted out. “All I had was a kettle, and I was living on packet soup and biscuits. I lost a couple of stones in weight. It was awful, but at least I had a roof over my head. “Because of the flood in 2015, I couldn’t get flood insurance. So the floods on January 1 have cost me more than £16,000 to put my house right with new carpets, furniture and electrical equipment. I also had to have the house completely rewired. I’m just lucky that I had the money saved. Other people around here were not so lucky. “If it happens again, I won’t bother. I’ll put the house up for auction so a builder can come and sort out. Maybe I should’ve done it this time.” Eileen believes the threat of flooding has been made worse by the car park for Iceland. “Before that car park was built, there was never any flooding. The water just sank into the ground. But on New Year’s Day, you could see it coming across the car park before I had two feet of water in the house.” A look inside the home of neighbour Miah Davy, 70, shows that the long-term effects of flood are still evident. Her ground floor resembles a construction site and she’s been grateful for donations from the nearby business Handymans Stores for generous donations of materials to carry out repairs to the house. Miah, who has previously lived in London, praised the Platt Bridge community for the help she had. Even though the work in her terraced house is still ongoing. “I wouldn’t live anywhere else,” she said. “People around here are fantastic. The Handymans Stores have been so generous, and I’m so grateful.” The owners of that business are partners Sophie Winnard and Hayden Turner. Sophie said: “When the floods hit, we were under two feet of water. It cost us at least £30,000, and we had no insurance. “We’ve now got all our stock high up in case it happens again. We are not giving up, we are still carrying on with our business.” One family who will never return to their sticken house on nearby Templeton Road is the Abrams. Michael, wife Stacy and their three children, Jack, Jake and Bethany, had been woken at 6.30am on January 1 by loud banging on the door of their rented home. They were told their car was underwater and were floated to safety in a dinghy to the nearby McDonald’s restaurant by the fire service. But HGV driver Michael later told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We’re never going back to that house. All the Christmas presents, along with everything on the ground floor of our terraced house, were gone. The water ruined everything. “We’re not going to take the chance that this could happen again.” He was true to his word. The Abrams now live elsewhere. Meanwhile, Mr Simons has highlighted a number of measures have been implemented to mitigate the potential consequences of similar storms and flooding threats in the future, both at Platt Bridge and the Bickershaw Lane area, which was also affected on January 1. In the short-term, support and guidance has been provided to assist residents to set up up 'flood action groups' to better engage with all the agencies about their flood protections and the long-term plan for flood defences. Agencies like Wigan council, the Environment Agency (EA), and water company United Utilities (UU) are working together to share information in a way they have never done before. The EA have introduced a new flood warning service which covers Platt Bridge and Abram. Residents can register by calling 0345 988 1188 or visit www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings. Reports (known as Section 19 reports) into the causes of the flood and recommended actions were completed by the end of May. Wigan council has resolved ongoing issues, including backup and tree root intrusion in the highway drains in the area. Potential blockages, like fly-tipped white goods, have been removed from Hey Brook and some vegetation cleared. Flap valves have been installed at various drains in the area, and ongoing investigations are being carried out by the council and UU into the drainage network. Sandbags are being made available for residents, and funding has been secured for two temporary pumps for residents in Bickershaw Lane. Two water pump tankers have been procured by Wigan council, with a third on standby, provided by UU. Longer-term measures mean that preparations for work to be carried out on the brook upstream in Low Hall Nature reserve, which will include de-silting and restoring the original flow of the brook. This is expected to start next summer. Wigan council is exploring the option of installing CCTV monitoring of the brook. Future housing development in the area will be designed not only to be safe from flooding throughout its lifetime, but also to minimise the increase in flood risk in the wider area. The feasibility of removing the footbridge at Keats Way and building a flood defence wall will be investigated by next spring. Mr Simons said: "I think about the heartbreaking scenes on New Year's Day morning, and I know from countless conversations with residents affected that they do too. "Since January, I have worked hard alongside councillors and Andy Burnham [Greater Manchester mayor] to make sure that as much as possible is done to stop flooding again. "But I know residents want more, and I promise that I will keep pushing for the right protections and to get the Hindley Flood Project started as soon as possible."