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Image source, EPA

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham says the region's weather is becoming "highly unpredictable".

People were forced to leave their homes and cars were abandoned as heavy flooding hit much of north-west England on Wednesday.

Andy Burnham said "once-a-century" weather events were now happening "every year or so".

Noting that the New Year's Day floods appeared to have come with fewer warnings than those of Boxing Day in 2015, Mr Burnham pledged to evaluate flood alert systems.

A father who woke up to find "everything floating about" in his house said his young son "thought we were going to drown" in the New Year's Day floods.

Daniel Pownall said he, his partner, and their two children were woken at 03:00 GMT by neighbours screaming "we are going under".

The 39-year-old said his home was one of 12 properties on West End Road in Haydock, Merseyside, that were flooded after the River Sankey burst its banks.

Mr Pownall told BBC Radio Merseyside: "Just looking at the devastation downstairs, from your microwave to your fridges floating in the front room, there was nothing we could do."

The A555 Manchester Airport relief road remains closed, external following Wednesday's flooding.

Cheshire East Council said Styal Road in Styal, Smith Lane in Mobberley, and Mottram Road in Alderley Edge had all yet to reopen.

Rick Vere-Hoose had been due to open a gym on the ground floor of Meadow Mill apartments in Stockport on 13 January.

"I didn't even know it had happened until a friend asked me if it was my mill he’d just seen on the telly," said Mr Vere-Hoose.

"I've had £100k worth of kit ruined - there is no way we will open on 13 January."

Residents of the whole block had to leave their homes as waters rose.

Engineers from Electricity North West are continuing to repair the network following severe flooding across Greater Manchester.

The company said its teams had battled "treacherous conditions" while restoring power to 90% of the 16,700 properties that had been affected since New Year's Eve.

About 750 properties remain without power, the vast majority of which are in the most severely flooded areas of Platt Bridge, Hyde, Stockport and Didsbury.

Incident manager Richard Moulton said: “The conditions we’ve seen across Greater Manchester are some of the worst we’ve ever experienced.

“Mass flooding has caused extensive damage to the power network, customers’ properties and the highways."

Image source, Electricity North West

Residents returning to their flats at Meadow Mill in Stockport, which were evacuated at the height of the flooding on New Year's Day, have returned to survey the extent of the damage.

Cars were submerged in rising waters.

Another Ormskirk resident said he only realised his house was flooded when his partner went downstairs to investigate after hearing somebody screaming outside.

Andrew Whithers told BBC Radio Merseyside: "She came downstairs to look out the front window and was ankle deep in what we shall call water.

"She instantly rescued the dog because he was on the sofa and got him upstairs with me. Then she tried to save as many valuables as we could but in about five minutes the water was all the way up to her thighs so she came back upstairs."

They were later rescued by firefighters.

Superintendent Phil Spurgeon, of Greater Manchester Police, said officers "recognise the disruption and distress" the rainfall and flooding has caused to communities.

He said: "We will continue to work through the coming days to monitor the situation and ensure displaced residents are supported".

Alan and Emma Ball returned from their honeymoon to "devastation" after their Ormskirk home flooded, killing their dog and rabbit.

The newly-married couple told BBC Radio Merseyside it was a "living nightmare" as they had "lost everything... our whole life" from their pets and memories to every bit of furniture they owned.

Mr Ball said the family were all pulling together to try and clean up their home "and make the best of a bad situation".

He said as they lived on a floodplain they could not afford the "astronomical" cost to insure it so they would have to bear the costs of the damage.

Image source, Reuters

Nearly 1,000 people have been evacuated, says Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service's chief fire officer.

Dave Russel said half of them were evacuated on boats, and many from flooded homes.

He praised fire crews who had worked tirelessly alongside Greater Manchester Police, North West Ambulance Service, Mountain Rescue, local councils and partners over the last 36 hours.

He thanked residents for their "co-operation, especially as many have been forced out of their homes at the start of a new year".

Manchester City Council leader Bev Craig has thanked those volunteers who helped the people forced to leave their homes due to flooding.

"Following orders of evacuation by the Environment Agency yesterday, more than 400 people were moved from homes close to the River Mersey due to high river levels," she said.

Ms Craig added: "Most found refuge with friends and family and 15 people were supported at rest centres and then accommodated overnight at Didsbury Mosque where they have been given food, refreshment and a place to rest.

"We would like to thank the mosque that provided a warm and safe place to take refuge, as well as the large number of volunteers, council staff and the Red Cross, who stepped forward in our residents' hour of need.

"Local people in the area were also brilliant, pulling together to provide food and help to those affected - a true example of community spirit when Manchester people needed it most.

"Thankfully there are no longer flood warnings in force in the Didsbury area and residents will continue to be supported until they are able to return to their homes."

Image source, JMG Press

Image source, Reuters

The major incident declared in response to the widespread flooding across Greater Manchester has been stood down, Greater Manchester Combined Authority has said.

It said emergency services and partners were now focusing on recovery efforts.

The Canal & River Trust has issued a statement in regards to the Bridgewater Canal breach on X, external.

Image source, X

Almost all the flood warnings and flood alerts across north-west England have now been lifted by the Environment Agency.

Only one alert remains in effect in the far south-west of the region for the River Dee catchment from Whitchurch to Chester, external.

The agency said river levels remain high on the Dee and flooding is forecast to affect locations near the river, with low lying land and roads expected to be most affected, particularly around Shocklach, Farndon, Handley, Lower Kinnerton, Chester and Puddington.

Their advice is to avoid using low lying footpaths and any bridges near local watercourses.

With an icy snap now forcecast as temperatures are set to plummet at the weekend, councils are to prioritise key routes for gritting tonight to help combat further disruption.

Lancashire County Council have just released the routes they are prioritising - you can read more here., external

Meanwhile, Tameside Council is urging people travelling in the borough during the cold snap to consult its map of which roads will be gritted.

People who click on this link, external can see which roads will be covered.

The interactive map highlights priority routes.

Northern's rail services are the latest to have been affected by the flooding in the region.

The operator said that due to heavy rain flooding the railway, all lines are blocked from Manchester Piccadilly to Chester via Altrincham and to Sheffield via New Mills Central.

Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

The operator has further updates on its website, external.

BBC North West Tonight's Andy Gill has been out at the Bridgewater Canal, where water levels beyond the breach have dropped to very low levels, leaving some narrowboats grounded on the mud.

Image source, BBC/Andy Gill

Image source, BBC/Andy Gill

People affected by the floods in Lancashire are asking whether better maintenance of drains could have helped the situation.

In Walton Le Dale, the A6 had to be closed when water from the River Ribble engulfed the carriageway and spilled into surrounding streets.

Andy Koz, who lives in Edward Street, said a couple of his neighbours' homes had flooded.

He said everyone had been left to dry out water from their cars and clear up the mud and debris.

Residents who were forced to leave their flats at Meadow Mill in Stockport have been returning and examining the floodwater damage after the River Tame burst its banks.

“I’ve lost ten grand overnight,” said Jenaid, whose car was left swamped.

He told our reporter, Erica Witherington that he tried to save his Audi but realised it was too late when the water was rising - and only has third party insurance.

Returning to his upper floor flat, he had to wade through water up to his chest to get through the lobby and said: “It was terrifying. I couldn’t sleep after that, I felt like I was still in the water.”