At least five cars have been stranded after a section of the A555 near Manchester Airport flooded overnight.
Images show vehicles nearly fully submerged in flood water along the Manchester Airport relief road between Hazel Grove and the airport, near Cheadle. It’s believed five cars have been stranded, with just the roofs visible above the water. The road remains closed.
Overnight heavy rain resulted in flooding across Greater Manchester, causing major travel disruption today, January 1. The M56 between junctions six and seven is also closed, impacting travellers heading to the airport. A diversion is in place and National Highways said there is currently “no estimated time for re-opening”.
A number of roads throughout Greater Manchester are closed due to flooding, including: the A34 Handforth Bypass; A34 Kingsway; White Carr Lane, Wythenshawe; Wilmslow Road, Cheadle; Manchester Old Road, Middleton; Tiviot Way, Stockport; and Store Street, Manchester city centre.
Cars submerged on the A555
(Image: Manchester Evening News)
Rail firms Northern and TransPennine Express have issued ‘do not travel warnings’ with many services cancelled throughout today. Manchester Airport has urged passengers to check before they travel and make sure they allow plenty of time to get to the airport.
Emergency services in Greater Manchester have now declared a major incident as they deal with the aftermath of widespread flooding. Some residents had to be rescued from flooded homes and floating cars as parts of the region saw more than 80mm (three inches) of rainfall in the last 24 hours.
Flooding on the A34 in Cheadle
(Image: Manchester Evening News)
In an update issued this morning (Wednesday), Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said they were co-ordinating the emergency service response along with Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS).
They said they were continuing to receive reports regarding ‘damage, risk to life and stranded vehicles’ following the flooding. They said that Bolton, Didsbury, Harpurhey, Stalybridge, Stockport and Wigan were the areas which had seen the greatest impact.
GMP said officers, along with ‘specialist resources’ including mountain rescue teams, had been deployed to help with transport and travel and to help GMFRS with any required rescue efforts.
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