Galgate residents counting the cost after floods devastate homes

A lorry drives through flood water under a bridge in Galgate, Lancashire, as heavy rain caused widespread flooding and travel disruption. Photo credit: Peter Byrne/PA Wire

Water reached up to 2ft high in many properties, destroying furniture as well as damaging cars which bore the brunt of the water sweeping through the streets.

Claire and Steve Coultas first noticed the rainwater coming in the front of their house at around 9pm.

The couple, who live in Main Road with their children Malchi, 10, Niamh, six, Madison, five, and four-year-old Nia-Marie, said they were unaffected by Storm Desmond in 2015 and hadn’t been expecting any problems.

Flooding in Galgate on Wednesday night. Photo by Julie Reeve.

Claire said: “I went to the shop at about 9.20pm and I was joking about the water but by the time I got back in the space of about 10 minutes it was up to the window ledge.

“The kitchen and front room are devastated. We have lost everything.”

“The front door was buckling under the weight of the water,” Steve said. “We were leaning against it trying to block it. We pushed a duvet and everything we could find to try to stop the water coming in, but there was just too much.”

Steve said vehicles travelling along the A6 through Galgate were making the situation worse for residents.

“Every time a car or lorry came down the road it was sending a tidal wave into the houses,” he said. “We rang the police and said they needed to close the road.”

A few doors away, Ben and Heather Freeman are also counting the cost.

“I was asleep and the dog started barking at the door,” Ben said. “The water was at the bottom of the door so we started putting towels against it.

“It was like someone had turned a tap on.

“I tried moving some of our things upstairs but most of our stuff has been ruined.”

“We’ll have to start over again,” Heather added.

Ray and Cath Hull had been hoping to sell their home of 38 years in Stoney Lane in the new year.

But floodwater coming across the fields behind their house has meant their plans are now on hold.

“We have never been affected before,” Cath said. “We were going to put the house up for sale after Christmas.

“At about 9pm we could hear noise outside and I looked and could see the water gushing into Stoney lane.

“It doesn’t usually reach us but this time we were completely cut off, no one could get to us.

“All of a sudden it was up to the back door. We put all our towels down but it started coming up through the floor. It was like an earthquake, the flooring started lifting up.

“Then it was coming in through the walls as well. You just couldn’t stop it.”