A flood warning has been issued for parts of Bolton after heavy rain caused high river levels, with flooding expected on Saturday around Astley Brook in Astley Bridge. Residents in Old Road, Blackburn Road, Seymour Road, Greenwood Vale and Viola Street in Sharples are being urged to 'act now'.
Government and Met Office warnings
In an update, the government said: "We are closely monitoring the situation. Avoid using low lying footpaths and any bridges near local watercourses."
The Met Office has issued a new 12-hour yellow warning for heavy rain as the UK braces for its second named storm of the week. Storm Boelo is set to batter the UK on Saturday, just hours after Storm Austen wreaked havoc in the south west of the country.
Rain and wind alerts
Parts of Greater Manchester are covered by the warning, with surface water flooding expected as up to 60mm of rain could fall in just six hours. The warning also covers Cumbria, much of Wales and the south coast of England. It comes into force at 11am and remains in place until 11pm on Saturday.
The Met Office said: "Heavy rain in association with Storm Boelo is expected to lead to surface water flooding in places. 25 to 30mm is expected widely across the warning area during this time, with a few places such as upland areas seeing 50 to 60mm, and some of this perhaps falling within six hours."
An amber warning for strong winds will also come into force this evening, covering parts of Lancashire and Cumbria. The 24-hour warning will be in place from 9pm on Saturday until 9pm on Sunday and covers much of Scotland as well as parts of the north of England.
Travel disruption and power cuts
The Met Office said there is a danger to life due to flying debris and large waves in coastal areas where wind gusts are expected to hit 80mph. Power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage.
Widespread travel disruption is expected to ferries and trains, with TransPennine Express warning against all but essential train journeys on Saturday and Sunday, while Avanti West Coast strongly advised users not to travel north of Preston on Sunday.
Storm Boelo follows Storm Austen which hit the south on Friday. More than 3,700 homes in the south west were without electricity on Saturday morning, according to the National Grid map. Engineers had restored power to more than 60,000 homes on Friday due to the storm.
