Heavy rainfall led to severe flash flooding across Liverpool on Tuesday morning, leaving people trapped in their homes and vehicles stranded in the streets. Emergency services were called to multiple incidents, particularly in West Derby and Bootle, where floodwaters rose to thigh-deep levels.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service urged the public not to risk driving through floodwater, tweeting: 'Crews have been called to a number of flooding incidents across Merseyside this morning, including in West Derby & Bootle where people were trapped inside their vehicles due to floodwater. Don't risk driving through flood water, find another route.'
A flood warning was later issued for the River Alt, affecting areas from Formby to Huyton, including Kirkby, Fazakerley, Aughton, Sefton, and Lunt. The Environment Agency stated: 'River levels have risen at the Kirkby river gauge as a result of persistent heavy rainfall. Flooding is expected to affect low lying land and roads... Further light rainfall is forecast over the next 4 hours. We are closely monitoring the situation.'
Residents in West Derby described the scene as chaotic. Tom Evans, 40, said: 'I was getting the car ready to take my son to school when a neighbour told me the road was flooded... I looked and there was water gushing out of a drain at the end of our close, where it never normally floods. The junction of Deysbrook Lane and Melwood Avenue was the worst - I've lived here eight years and it floods about once a year, but never this bad.'
One resident, who did not wish to be named, offered a stepladder to help passers-by climb over a wall to escape the flood. She said: 'This has been happening for 20 years now. They say they've fixed the drains every year, but then it happens again. I phoned up at 7.55am and said it's going to flood... now it's more than an hour later and they've only just turned up.'
