Flooded roads ordeal for Wigan sweet factory boss

Co-director of Wm Santus and Co, John Winnard, just wanted to get from Wrightington to neighbouring Parbold on Tuesday afternoon for a business meeting.

But each time he thought he was making progress in the driving rain he found his way blocked by flooding.

Even when he got relatively near to his destination he found the level crossing on Station Road, Parbold, closed by the police and fire brigade because of the deluges, so he ended up walking the rest of the way.

The Uncle Joe's Mint Balls boss said: "We came from Wrightington to Parbold but couldn't get the usual way by the fishing ponds because the road was under water.

"So we tried going via Appley Bridge, but Back Lane was blocked too. Annoyingly they had blocked the road past Golden Days rather than at it, so rather than turning round in the car park, vehicles were going a little way past and then realising they all had to perform three-point turns.

"The third choice took us via Bentley Lane in Mawdesley which at least got us into the centre of Parbold.

"But the level crossing was shut with the fire brigade pumping water away from the tracks and the underpass. The trains had also been stopped for a while but a firefighter told me he hoped they would be resuming relatively soon.

"The only thing to do then was park up and walk the rest of the way clutching my laptop. I got there in the end but it was quite an adventure."

Many parts of Wigan and the North West were hit by flash floods after torrential downpours.