Swamped

In the ensuing havoc, a Pilkington lorry driver had to be rescued by fire crews in a dinghy after becoming submerged in almost 6ft of water under the bridge on Peasley Cross Lane.

This was just one of the many incidents dealt with by the emergency services on Tuesday morning. Calls came into Merseyside Fire Service call centre at a rate of five per minute.

Firefighter Jim Stevenson told the Star: "In my 27 years' service I've never seen anything like it."

Boundary Road, Chalon Way, Peckershill Road and Sherdley Road Industrial Estate in St Helens were just a few of the areas to be swamped.

Fingerpost saw huge traffic jams and even the A & E department at Whiston Hospital had to close. As late as Tuesday evening there were long lines of traffic as drivers struggled to find a route out of town that was not under water. Such was the force of water coming down Hinckley Road that it lifted and cracked the surface.

The rescue dinghy was called back into action on Peasley Cross Lane when fire crews were called to a family of four who had driven straight into the water.

The Wheatsheaf pub on Leach Lanewas just one business that fell victim to the foul weather.

Speaking as staff frantically tried to hold back the floodwater, tenant landlord Jane Banks said: "This is worse than ever before. Water is flooding into the pub and it's already caused a lot of damage in the TV room and the bar."

Husband Phil paid tribute to his staff and loyal customers who rolled up their trouser legs to help clean the mess.

He said: "The water has completely obliterated seating in the pool room, where in places it must be four to five feet deep. The carpet in the lounge is ruined and our fridges have been lost. It's just an utter mess.

"Once the water has gone, we will be open as soon as we can."

Stores closed

Town centre stores such as Wilkinsons and Asda were also affected. Wilkinson had to close for four and a half hours and Asda for half an hour.

Sutton Manor resident Pat Brussels said the council should shoulder some of the blame when it came to informing drivers about danger spots.

She said: "This is not just a recent thing. Every time we have a heavy downpour this happens."

Around 40 patients had to be evacuated from Whiston Hospital's Accident and Emergency department, which had to close after drains in Stoney Lane overflowed, and water gushed into the hospital's grounds. It is the second time in two years the A & E ward has flooded following heavy rain.

The ward remained closed on Tuesday evening, with medical chiefs hopeful it would reopen yesterday (Wednesday morning) after a thorough clean-up operation.

Dr John Tappin, medical director of St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals Trust, said: "There must have been 40 staff and volunteers mopping up and sandbags were brought in. It was a case of all hands to the pump. Staff managed to move electrical equipment so hopefully none of the scanners were damaged."

He added that the hospital will be contacting United Utilities to try and solve the drain problems.

Later a spokesman from the fire service said: "Our crews and staff did a great job under such terrible circumstances."