RESIDENTS feared a repeat of the flooding that hit the Stoneclough and Prestolee areas in 2015.

Families deployed flood barriers in their homes and moved their belongings to higher ground after flood alerts were issued at the weekend.

A number of people took to social media to raise the alarm as the water levels in the River Irwell rose.

Bolton Council said their highways teams dealt with a number of localised flooding issues caused by the torrential downpour.

Lisa Drummond had to move out of her home in Riverside Drive for between six and seven months after the River Irwell burst its banks on Boxing Day 2015.

She said: "This time, the water did not physically affect us but people obviously get anxious about it.

"Social media did not help because people were scaremongering. People were saying a flood warning had been issued but it was actually a flood alert. They are two very different things.

"We had a number of text alerts but we could see for ourselves that the river was rising and rising. We were anxious, as you can imagine, thinking 'what if we do not get a warning but we are flooded again'.

"The water level got to a point where people made themselves more prepared. I know some of the residents were moving their belongings upstairs. We put our flood barriers up for peace of mind, in case a warning was issued overnight. That is something we did not have last time.

"I think you take more notice because of what has happened before."

At 5.30pm on Saturday, the water levels measured 3.87m, with rain continuing to fall.

Flood alerts were in place in Bessy Brook, Glengarth Drive and Rumworth Road in Lostock, and the catchment area near the River Croal at Farnworth and Kearsley.

Staff at Market Street Tavern in Stoneclough offered their car park as a place for residents to move their vehicles to if homes near the river looked likely to flood.

A total of 116 properties were flooded in Bolton in 2015, of which 57 were in the Prestolee and Stoneclough areas. Families were displaced from their homes and cars were left underwater.

A Bolton Council spokeswoman said: "We constantly monitored the weather situation during the weekend and responded to concerns from residents.

"Gully cleaners were out in Stoneclough and Ringley, we also spoke to residents and were in touch with the Environment Agency about repairs to parts of the river bank.

"During Saturday evening, the rain had eased and water levels began to drop. We monitored during the night and levels continued to fall throughout the night.

"Better weather on Sunday morning enabled the water levels to fall further. Street cleaners were sent to the area to clean up any debris."

They tweeted at the weekend: "We’ve dealt with a number of localised floods today, and are keeping an eye on the situation on the Croal/Irwell particularly at Stoneclough."

The three flood alerts that were in place in the upper and lower catchment areas of the River Irwell and near the River Glaze have all since been lifted.