Greater Manchester Police have declared a major incident with flood alerts caused by Storm Christoph in place across the region.
The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for rain in the North West, as well as a number of other areas of England, and the Environment Agency said the combination of heavy rain and snowmelt had created a “volatile situation”.
Flood alerts are in place in the Middle River Mersey catchment, which includes Altrincham, as well as the River Bollin.
Heavy rainfall is forecast by the Met Office to fall in Altrincham this evening and throughout Wednesday.
And tonight, Greater Manchester Police have declared a major incident to ensure they’re “as prepared as possible for the heavy rainfall expected from Storm Christoph”.
Assistant Chief Constable Nick Bailey said: “The safety of the public is our number one priority and we’re continuing to work alongside partner agencies across the region.
“Whilst we appreciate that everyone has been told to stay home due to the Coronavirus pandemic, we want to make it clear that should members of the public need to evacuate to protect themselves due to flooding then that is the priority and you should follow your local authority’s advice regarding evacuation.
“Coronavirus remains a threat to everyone’s health and people should not leave their homes unless it is absolutely essential, but where there is a risk of flooding, that is clearly essential and we’re working with our partners to ensure that people can do this as safely as possible. For anyone that needs to evacuate, we’d ask that you remain very aware of Covid-19 and continue to follow the government guidance around Hands, Face, Space as much as possible and limit your contact with other people.
“We would continue to urge anyone with concerns about flooding in their area to contact their local authorities who will be able to sign-post you to the most appropriate information and support.”
He added: “Heavy rainfall is expected from later today and that could cause flooding in several areas across Greater Manchester – we are preparing for this and are continuing to monitor the situation very closely. We will continue to provide updates as often as we can.”
