Last summer large parts of England and Wales were flooded and virtually all aspects of everyday life were hit in the worst affected areas.

Tina Smith, Wigan council's emergency planning chief, said: "Many people suffered trauma or lost irreplaceable personal belongings in the floods.

"Thankfully Wigan came out relatively unscathed but we have spoken to our colleagues in the parts of the country affected and have learned many lessons from their experiences."

And while Wiganers are hoping for continued sunny skies all summer long, the advice from the council's Emergency Planning Team is to spend a little time planning what you would do if the water came in.

"Some of the measures are common-sense. For example many people saw
their personal belongings destroyed in the rising water because they were waiting for sandbags to arrive, but taking your valuables upstairs and out of harm's way would have saved a lot of people a lot of heartache," said Tina.

One good piece of advice to come out of the catastrophe is for householders to make up their own flood kits.

A typical flood kit includes personal documents (such as identification and insurance documents), emergency contact numbers, a torch, a first aid kit and blankets.

"You can also add anything else that you think may be useful, so wellies, waterproof coat, baby essentials, a lighter or matches are just some of the items you may want to add.

"Other things you might want to think about are any medication that you or members of your family may need; consider a safe place to store valuable or sentimental items; make sure you know where and how to turn off the gas and electricity; where would you move your car to and what you would do if you were told you had to evacuate."

The Environment Agency's Floodline offers the opportunity for people to
receive direct flood warnings if they are at risk.
You can sign up and find out more by calling 0845 988 1188.

Wigan council and other local authorities across Greater Manchester have joined forces to create Major Emergencies and You! A pocket-sized guide telling you everything you need to know and do in all types of emergency.

The guide is free and available from Wigan's libraries and other public buildings.