151211 Flood St Michaels 1

Dozens of people have been evacuated from a village in Lancashire as rising river levels heaped pressure on temporary flood defences.

Residents from about 20 homes in St Michaels have been moved to a nearby YMCA centre after the Environment Agency issued a severe flood warning.

Water levels in the River Wyre peaked at about 09.30 GMT after heavy rainfall over night.

Emergency services were working to bolster flood defences in the area.

151211 Flood St Michaels 2

Dozens of people have been evacuated from a village in Lancashire as rising river levels heaped pressure on temporary flood defences.

Residents from about 20 homes in St Michaels have been moved to a nearby YMCA centre after the Environment Agency issued a severe flood warning.

Water levels in the River Wyre peaked at about 09.30 GMT after heavy rainfall over night.

Emergency services were working to bolster flood defences in the area.

The Environment Agency said staff were working alongside firefighters and police to lay extra sandbags and supervise flood basins further up the river.

There were concerns that an embankment between the river and nearby houses could have breached, but by 11:45 the water levels had begun to fall.

At the scene: Paul O’Gorman, BBC Radio Lancashire

The alarm was raised at 04:00 GMT, when residents were contacted by telephone and by police, who toured the village knocking on doors.

A handful of people have gone to the YMCA centre in Garstang, while others have found shelter with family and friends.

Work is continuing to try to strengthen and repair flood defences, with both the police and firefighters joining forces with the Environment Agency.

Meanwhile, the village pub has become a meeting centre for residents and workers alike.

However, the Environment Agency urged people to stay away from properties close to the river while the flood warning remained in place.

A spokesman said: “We believe there will be more flooding and we are advising families to take heed of our severe flood warning and take action.”

People across Lancashire have battled through five days of disruption due to heavy rainfall, which began on Saturday.

More than 50,000 homes in and around Lancaster faced several power cuts after an electricity substation was hit by a metre of water at the weekend.

(Source: BBC News)

Research Ecosystem
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia UTM Nexus - Research & Innovation

Office of Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research & Innovation)

DVCRI Profile Johor Bahru Office Kuala Lumpur Office

Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HI-COE)

Advance Membrane Technology Research Centre - AMTEC Institute of Noise & Vibration - INV Wireless Communication Centre - WCC

Research Institute

Centre of Excellence (COE)

Institute of High Voltage & High Current - IVAT UTM-MPRC Institue for Oil & Gas - IFOG Centre for Artificial Intelligence & Robotics - CAIRO Centre for Engineering Education - CEE Centre for Advanced Composite Materials - CACM Innovation Centre in Agritechnology for Advanced Bioprocessing - ICA Institute of Bioproduct Development - IBD

Service Entity

Research Management Centre - RMC Penerbit UTM Press Centre for Community & Industry Network - CCIN Innovation & Commercialisation Centre - ICC University Laboratory Management Centre - PPMU Institut Sultan Iskandar - UTM-ISI

Get the latest news & events

Customer Satisfaction Index