Hundreds of residents woke up to find their homes flooded on New Year’s Day.
Greater Manchester declared a major incident after torrential downpours, and the River Mersey – which runs through the region – had its highest levels in 66 years of records.
For those whose homes have been flooded across Greater Manchester, the long clean-up has only just begun.
Communities came together across the region to help out, including 30 horses saved from drowning at one stables and a local hospital protected from the floods just in time.
Our reporter Alanah Hammond spoke to residents Kelly Williams, Ben Bollington and Gabrielle Dainty to find out how they coped with the flooding…
Kelly Williams, Urmston: ‘It was a heartbreaking situation, but heartwarming response to it’
At 7.30am on New Year’s Day, Kelly Williams woke up to a loud knock on her front door. It was her daughter.
Meadowgate Farm Livery Stables in Urmston was underwater after extreme flooding. Thirty horses – including Kelly’s beloved pony Stuart Little and horse Beau – needed rescuing immediately.
Kelly, who had only had three hours of sleep after celebrating 2025, described how she wasted no time.
“I just sort of sprung out of bed – and I rarely spring out of bed – but it was urgent, so we were straight in the car and straight down there,” said the 44-year-old business owner.
“We were expecting a few inches of water and having to clean some stables out. We were not expecting two-and-a-half to three feet of water, which is what greeted us on the lane when we got there, before we could even get to the stables.
“By that point, there was about six of us there. With the uneven ground level on the yard, some of the horses were in deeper water than others; it was just a case of getting as many horses out as we could, as quickly as possible, while we waited for the other owners to arrive.”
For some of the horses, the water was up to their necks.
Kelly said: “There was a torrent of water and a very fast flowing current which we had to wade through to bring the horses out.”
Her daughter’s pony, Stuart Little, was stood on a mound of hay that had built up in his stable to keep above water. When he was being rescued, as soon as he stepped off the hay, Kelly described how “his little nose went under”.
With 30 horses in the stables, Kelly said many of them were quite young and green.
She said: “We had to trust each other quickly, hoping that we could get them out of there without too many issues of spooking or them trying to run off.”
As news spread that the horses needed evacuating, thanks to a passer-by posting a picture on the local Facebook group, more people came down to the stables.
Kelly said: “Once they put that post on Facebook, it was just overwhelming. People turned up with horse boxes and trailers saying, ‘Right, who am I taking, and where am I going?’
“Dog walkers asked if there was anything they could do. The horses had been rescued at this point, so it was very much a case of just asking them to comfort the horses – they didn’t have to touch them but just give them a little bit of encouragement and tell them they’re doing well.
“Even the neighbours on Meadowgate road came out, bringing hot food and biscuits and cups of tea and coffee. Everyone just came together.”
Kelly explained that the horses are now safe and have returned home.
The clean-up has begun but everything must be replaced. Hundreds of pounds have been donated through a GoFundMe page and people have brought down spare rugs and feed.
Kelly said: “It was a horrible thing, but it was heartwarming how everyone came together.”
Ben Moorhouse, Bollington: ‘Every little bit that local residents can do to help themselves helps everyone else‘
In Bollington, near Macclesfield, on New Year’s Day, one member of the community spent hours putting up flood protections to secure the safety of the local doctor’s surgery.
He said: “Everything was relatively stable but then I got a phone call to say there was lots of flooding and lots of surface water, well run off from footpaths, running out into the streets.
“Since there was so much debris from the footpath, it spread down across the road and blocked some of the gullies further down the street – it was basically making its own river down the road and into the doctor’s surgery.”
With two others, Ben used sandbags on flowing water, shovelled up debris and cleared up gullies to alleviate the flooding.
The tree surgeon explained the importance of lending a hand to those in your local community.
He said: “Every little bit that local residents can do to help themselves helps everyone else.
“If it’s only a case of brushing the leaves off the gully in front of your house, it might not help you, but it might help somebody who is down the road.
“At the end of the say, these jobs aren’t being done for whatever reason, so why not help yourself and help other people around you.
“You might be easing someone’s suffering down the line or you might be saving someone’s property or building. It’s vastly important to help out in your community if you can.”
Gabrielle Dainty, Lymm: ‘It’s just demoralising. It’s been incredibly emotional‘
As people around the world celebrated the start of the New Year with kisses and partying, Gabrielle Dainty was trying to save her home from flooding when the clock struck midnight.
“We went to the living room and heard the “FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE, HAPPY NEW YEAR!” on the TV and then we saw the water coming through the floor,” she said.
Gabrielle lives close to the Bridgewater Canal, near Lymm, and the downstairs of her rented house flooded as she and her partner were home welcoming the New Year. She described how the events unfolded.
“At 8.30pm on New Year’s Eve we heard some noises outside,” she said. “I went to the window and saw our neighbour clearing the drains. He said water was coming up. So, we put our wellies on – still in our pyjamas – and went into the rain to clear the drains.
“We did that for a while and then all of a sudden, we just turned around and went, actually, we need to go inside. All the flood defences were up at the door.
“We did everything we could. The council came at 2:35am with sandbags but it was just too late.
“I went to bed at 4am because there was nothing else we could do.
“We got up in the morning and the water was knee deep in the living room and the pool room.
“At 8:15am on New Year’s Day, we noticed a puddle in one corner of the kitchen. By 9am, the kitchen was two inches deep in water, and it rose to about four inches by the end of the day.
“The intensity of those 45 minutes was terrifying.”
The damage shocked Gabrielle, as measures were taken following a previous flood to protect her home.
“It was very defeating because our house was flooded four years ago, and we thought we had fixed it – we had done a lot of work with the council and the local farmers to sort it out,” revealed the farm worker.
“It was just so quick, so, so quick.
“When you’re sat in your home, all you can do is go, ‘Right, what can we afford to lose?’ and it’s just demoralising. It’s been incredibly emotional.
“We’ve returned home now and when you’re walking around, it just smells really bad because the flood water came from a field that had sheep in it for months – it’s just not pleasant.”
Gabrielle is currently using the upstairs rooms while she waits for insurers and repair work to start. While waiting in limbo for repair work, the 48-year-old says her community has been supporting them – from a neighbour offering to cook her dinner to even a stranger offering to buy her a bacon buttie.
“We went to the garden centre nearby because we needed new wellies – our old ones were just soaked. It was midday and we hadn’t eaten yet, so we went to the food court to queue for a couple of bacon sandwiches,” she said.
“The lady behind the food counter said, ‘Are you the lady that’s been flooded?’ I said that we were and she went ‘I’m really sorry about your home.’
“She then wandered to the till and stood there with her purse. She said, ‘Sorry you’re not paying for these, I am.’ We tried to decline politely but she insisted on paying.
“Her boss soon came over to see what was happening and the worker explained the situation. The boss then said to their worker, ‘And you’re not paying either. We’ll write this off.’”
Gabrielle was so overwhelmed, she burst into tears in the middle of the garden centre.
And they weren’t the only tears she shed.
One afternoon, a couple of days after the flooding, Gabrielle heard a knock on the door.
It was her neighbour.
She offered Gabrielle a warm meal, comforting words and a glass of wine.
Gabrielle said: “I just burst into tears again – it was such a lovely moment.”
The Environment Agency: ‘Our sympathies are with everyone affected by flooding‘
In the aftermath of the devastating flooding across the North West, the Environment Agency has responded.
A spokesperson said: “We are sadly very aware of the devastating impact that flooding can have, which is why protecting communities is our top priority. Our sympathies are with everyone affected by flooding in recent days, including in Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire.
“Environment Agency teams have been working around the clock over the New Year, operating flood defences, issuing flood warnings and supporting those communities affected.
“More broadly, we are delivering a long-term funding programme of flood defences, investing over £1billion this year to scale up national resilience through building new and improving existing flood defences.”
Join the discussion