Wigan children left with “soaked” feet after school path flooding which residents blame on nearby development

Beleaguered residents living in the shadow of four 'monstrous' warehouses are blaming them for leaving their gardens and a school path submerged in floodwater.

Families, protesting against the giant structures in Tyldesley, Wigan, fear that one heavy downpour could send floodwater spilling into their homes.

They claim that a sudden surge in flooding proves the controversial Astley Business Park development - which includes four vast warehouses up to 18.3 metres (60ft) tall - has been signed off with "surface water plans that are unsuitable".

Wigan Council say, after a meeting with the developer and site manager, it has been agreed that a drainage channel will be dug along the length of the path, and the garden boundaries, and that they are confident this measure will address the issue.

Ian Southwell, 60, has been left worried the water will soon pour into his £550,000. five-bedroomed, detached home.

He said: "The flooding started about four weeks ago. Now, it's the worst it has ever been. I have to wear wellies to go in the garden. I'd say the water is about 1.5ft deep. I'm worried to death about it reaching the house, I can't sleep at night. As soon as I hear rain, I think about it coming up to the back door and into the house. Before the warehouses, we didn't have this flooding whatsoever."

It has meant parts of his garden are now unusable amid rising water, he said.

Ian, who lives with his wife Maxine and two of their daughters, said: "My garden is totally flooded at the bottom, it has killed off all my plants. The back gate is rotten, so that needs replacing - and I'm probably going to need a new fence. I've got lights in the garden and they're actually submerged now, so I've had to turn them all off."

Footage shows gardens transformed into murky pools, with brown water lapping against fence posts and swallowing lawns. In several images, grass vanishes beneath inches of water, turning back gardens into swamps.

According to campaigners, paths leading up to a nearby school have flooded for the first time too, with parents "having to carry their kids over floodwater to school".

Mum Stacy Bodders said her children’s feet were “soaked”, despite them wearing wellies.

She said: “They have had wet feet with their school boots on, I’ve switched it to wellies today (December 9) and the water came over the boots flooding their feet.

“There was a queue trying to get over it this morning with one dad trying to pass over every child that was waiting.

“This is just getting ridiculous now, not only do we live directly behind it but we also have to endure this on the school run.

“We have lived here for over twelve years and it has never been like this no matter how bad the weather has been.”

Residents insisted flooding was never an issue until construction began on the 350,000 sq ft industrial site - which has already leased one of the units to delivery giant Whistl on a long-term basis.

Neighbours have previously compared the warehouses to "cruise liners" towering over their homes and blocking sunlight from their gardens.

After complaining to Wigan Council about flooding, residents said they were told that the areas affected did not "form part of council's adopted highway", so the authority was not responsible.

It comes despite families saying they are "scared to go into their gardens" in case the surface water issues cause any larger problems with sink holes.

Dave Gerrard, 46, has lived on the estate since 2019 and claimed flooding has made the bottom part of his garden unusable.

He said: "There's a gate that I used to take the dog out onto the field - and it's completely underwater now. The water comes right over onto my patio area. In a couple of years, my whole fence will have rotted away. I'm already thinking it's going to cost me a lot of money."

Dave, a builder of 30 years, said: "We've told Wigan Council that there has been a breach of planning rules, because there needs to be proper drainage in place. But they've just ignored us as usual. We told them that the flooding was going to happen - it's not come as a surprise."

The flooding has also left families fearing the impact on house prices - adding to anger over the size and scale of the warehouses themselves, which they say they were never properly warned about during the planning process.

The Astley Warehouse Action Group, which has thousands of followers on social media, claim that revised planning drawings and water-management changes were never properly consulted on.

A Wigan Council spokesperson said: "Following a meeting on Monday with the developer and site manager, it has been agreed that a drainage channel will be dug along the length of the path, and the garden boundaries.

“This work will take place immediately, as soon as weather permits this week.

“We are confident this measure will address the issue, however the situation will be kept under regular monitoring by council officers and the developer."

A spokesperson for PLP said the firm would not be commenting.