Serious flooding after heavy rain and strong winds has ushered in the New Year in North West England, with Greater Manchester Police (GMP) declaring a major incident over widespread flooding. Bolton, Stockport and Wigan were among the worst-affected areas.
GMP have been co-ordinating the response alongside alongside Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS), North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), mountain rescue and local councils.
As New Year’s Day progressed, GMP officers and specialised units deployed at key locations across Greater Manchester, alongside teams from the other organisations have been dealing with the impact the severe rainfall and flooding has had on local communities.
The Environment Agency has been urging caution following rain over New Year and urged people to stay vigilant to the risk of flooding and stay away from swollen rivers, with significant river flooding impacts possible in parts of North West England.
As at 8.30pm last night the Environment Agency had 41 flood warnings in place where flooding was expected and 88 flood alerts where flooding was possible, with a further 174 flood warnings removed in the last 24 hours.
As of 18:00pm on 1 January the Environment Agency was estimating that more than 17,000 properties had been protected, with that figure likely to increase.
Yesterday Floods Minister Emma Hardy separately met with staff from the Environment Agency to discuss the response to the heavy rain and flooding, and to ensure that communities were kept safe and receiving support.
Ben Lukey, Flood Duty Manager at the Environment Agency, said:
“Heavy and persistent rain from last night into this morning means river levels will remain high across parts of the North of England until Thursday, with significant inland flooding possible today and minor impacts probable in places on Thursday.
“Environment Agency teams will be out on the ground, operating flood defences, taking action to reduce the impact of flooding, issuing flood warnings and supporting those communities affected.”
Floods Minister Emma Hardy said:
“My thoughts are with the people, businesses and communities impacted by flooding, particularly those in and around Greater Manchester.
“I have met with officials from the Environment Agency today to ensure that impacted communities are receiving the necessary support and I want to express my heartfelt thanks for the vital work that the Environment Agency and emergency services are doing to keep people safe.
“The Government is working at pace to accelerate the building of flood defences through our new Floods Resilience Taskforce, so we can continue to protect people and their homes.”
Lessons learned from these latest floods will be fed directly into the new Floods Resilience Taskforce to speed up the development of flood defences and bolster the nation’s resilience to extreme weather.
The Taskforce brings together the Secretary of State and Minister Hardy with representatives from Defra, MHCLG, Home Office, Cabinet Office, the Environment Agency, the Met Office, Local Resilience Forums, Mayoral Offices, emergency responders and the National Farmers Union, among others.
With the UK government demanding a 50% reduction in storm overflow spills by 2029, the era of reactive management is over. Speaking in the House of Commons on 21 July 2025, then environment secretary Steve Reed said, “This Government will cut water companies’ sewage pollution in half by the end of the decade.”
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