Boaters rescued from Northern waterways

WITH an estimated month's worth of rain in 24 hours around Calderdale, the Rochdale Canal, Calder & Hebble and Aire & Calder are all flooded with boaters having to be rescued.

At Callis Lock on the Rochdale Canal firefighters had to rescue nine people off a hire boat, as the water in the canal rose to a dangerous level, flooding over its sides.

Over the top

The boat was in danger of going over the lock, as the water crept up over the top, threatening to take the boat over, with the firefighters rescuing the occupants, and taking them to a nearby farm.

Another boater, contributor Jimmy Lockwood tells us he and his wife had no option but to abandon their boat near Hebden Bridge on the Rochdale Canal when the flooding Calder rose to swamp the nearby road and houses under two feet of water, explaining:

"One moment the canal was normal, then there was an almighty cloud burst, and the rain kept coming, we could hardly see the other side of the canal, then the water started rising, and when a police car came down the road warning people in the houses of possible flood, we tied the boat up loosely and 'abandoned ship', but have been told it is still okay."

All along the valley houses, shops and commercial premises were under water as the river was unable to take the flood, with the centres of Hebden Bridge, Mytholmroyd and Todmorden among the worst hit areas for flooding.

The entire waterways are of course at present closed.