'We had no warning of life-threatening flooding'

When Sarah Riley and her co-owners bought their property, which they have since converted into a farm, dog park and cafe, they knew there was a risk of flooding.

But they had no idea that just a year later their businesses in Urmston, Greater Manchester, would be "completely ruined" by a deluge of flood water on New Year's Day that put "lives at risk".

Ms Riley said they could have prevented the devastation but claimed they had “absolutely no warning" of the severity of the flooding from the Environment Agency (EA).

An EA spokesperson said: "Flood alerts are issued prior to flood warnings" and that the agency was "sadly very aware of the devastating impact that flooding can have".

Ms Riley, who co-owns Barrow Field Farm with her partner and another couple, said while the water had begun draining from the dog park and cafe, the farm remained completely underwater and they were having to travel around via canoe.

She added: "There's not a great deal we can do at this point. We don't know the full impact of the flood damage."

She said they were lucky to have been able to evacuate their animals, including guiding their horses through chest-high water, while some neighbouring properties were not so lucky.

They also lost hundreds of thousands of pounds in farming machinery, equipment, and animal feed, which she said could have been prevented if they had been given "even 30 minutes' warning".

"We get amber weather warnings all the time living in Great Britain, especially in Manchester. But to not receive any warning [from the Environment Agency] that something like this was going to happen, and to be so severe to the point that lives were at risk.

"Negligent is just the only word for it."

The EA spokesperson said teams had been "working around the clock over the New Year, operating flood defences, taking action to reduce the impact of flooding, issuing flood warnings and supporting communities affected".

"The South Manchester area is within the Middle Mersey catchment and was subject to a flood alert late afternoon on 31 December," they continued.

“Flood Warnings were issued to communities close to the River Mersey overnight and into the next day.

"We are sadly very aware of the devastating impact that flooding can have, which is why protecting communities is our top priority, and our sympathies are with anyone affected over recent days.”

Ms Riley said while the property was on a floodplain, which meant some parts of the farm could not be covered by insurance, she believed the level of flooding this time was unprecedented.

She said: "We're local to the area. We know people that have lived here all of their lives but they've never experienced flooding of this scale.

"The currents were so strong, I can only compare it to something like the river rapids [at a theme park].

"We tried to help other local farms to evacuate their animals and sadly there was nothing that we could do because we reached the point where the current was starting to pull us under the water."

The EA spokesperson added: "Our officers are visiting areas impacted by flooding to listen to any concerns and to build a more detailed picture of flooding across all of Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire.

“We use this information to inform future investment in flood defences and developments to our flood warning service."

While the past few days had been "devastating" for Ms Riley and her co-owners, she said they were "determined to come back fighting stronger and harder than ever".

"But it's going to take time, a lot of money and a lot of effort."

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas to [email protected]