Two new business owners in Urmston were met with a sudden and severe flood on New Year's Day, leaving their coffee shop and surrounding land completely submerged in water.
Sarah Reilly and her partner Pete enjoyed a quiet night in on New Year’s Eve. The couple had plans to get up early the next morning and open up the coffee shop at their new business Barrowfield Dog Park in Urmston for the first day of the new year. The couple heard rain as they went to bed and knew the forecast, but weren’t too concerned - in an area frequently affected when flooding happens, they knew the protocols.
But at around 6:30am on New Year’s Day, they came downstairs to rapidly rising water levels like nothing they had ever seen before. Within 15 minutes, their beloved new business was submerged - and with the water still rising fast, they knew they had to act quickly to save the horses grazing in their field. “Between half past six and seven o’clock, it just exploded,” Sarah said. ”It was everywhere.” Next door, Sarah’s business partner Laura Maher and her partner Kevin Connelly were experiencing the same. “I went out to see how far it was up the yard, then came back inside, put some clothes on, and in that time it was getting in the car,” Kevin said. “The car door was open, water was going in the car, I managed to start it. “But usually when it comes, it comes up gradually. No amount of rain, no matter how heavy, does this - it takes weeks and weeks to make it come up like this. Not one night of heavy rain.” He explained that usually the water levels ‘creep’ up, giving them time to move equipment and animals to safety and constantly gauge the situation. “It usually gives you the time,” he said. “But this is like a f***ing flood has come, a tidal wave.” They say they were given insufficient warning from the Environment Agency. “Last night we were told it was a yellow weather warning which might as well be every day in the winter,” Kevin continued. “We had no notice of this.” “I looked at the weather forecast the night before because we were opening the coffee shop on New Year’s Day and it just said heavy rain,” Sarah adde
FLOOD URMSTON BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT AGENCY WEATHER WARNING
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