HUNDREDS of Radcliffe families are continuing to count the devastating cost of the worst flooding in the area since 1936.

Shocked residents were forced to wade through waist-high waters in some parts of the town on Saturday. The Dumers Lane, Pilkington Way, and Stand Lane areas among the worst hit.

Frank Wells returned to his home in Riverside Road on Boxing Day with his wife and two children to find it under inches of water and is unsure where they will stay now.

The 52-year-old said: "We were away for Christmas and when we got back on Boxing Day, we said ‘What the hell is going on here?’

"The water was all the way up to our house, so we parked up the car and ran inside. We grabbed as much as we could to save it from the water, but there was only so much we could do.

"We managed to get the cars out of here and when we came back on Sunday the water had receded. It was about 18 inches deep all through our downstairs. It has destroyed everything.

"We have been staying at my mum’s but there’s only so long you can do that for. We haven’t been able to speak to anyone from the insurance company yet, but we will have to see if the can provide any emergency accommodation for us."

Workers from Electricity North West were gradually restoring power to the area on Monday, while extra bin collections and skips were provided by Bury Council on Tuesday.

Emma Sharrock, a resident of Dumers Lane, said: “The water here at about 6pm on Boxing Day was at waist height. We couldn’t stop it getting into our houses.

“We had about four inches of water right through the house and everything that wasn’t fastened down was being washed away.

"We don't know what's going to happen to us. Getting any kind of information from the electricity company, our insurers, or the council has been impossible. We had the worst of the flooding around here and people don't feel like there has been much help."