Washed away in a flash: North of England suffers another round of devastating floods

Incredibly, the authorities warned their efforts to help were being hampered at some points by ‘disaster tourists’ heading to the affected areas to gawp.

Chiefs said people were risking their lives, and putting others’ at risk, to take ‘selfies’ at flood scenes.

A Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: “We have got disaster tourism which we really don’t want.”

Across the region, there were scenes of chaos. A historic pub, which has stood on a bridge over the River Irwell for more than 200 years, was reduced to rubble in the horrific floods.

The Waterside pub in Summerseat, Greater Manchester, collapsed under the strain of the rushing water.

In Bury, Greater Manchester, people reported a giant plume of smoke rising over the town after a sub-station reportedly “suffered an explosion” after being flooded.

Across Lancashire rivers burst their banks as torrential rain fell on ground already saturated by weeks of heavy deluges.

The army was mobilised to evacuate the villages of Whalley and Ribchester after the waters of the Ribble and Calder threatened to swamp their communities.

Pensioners and pregnant women were plucked to safety by rescue crews in dinghies, with around 50 people confirmed as having been rescued.

Near Rochdale, the M62 was closed after a 20ft sinkhole opened in the road, causing traffic chaos.

Many roads across the region were submerged by floodwater, cutting off communities, many without power.

Some of the worst affected areas were Blackburn and Preston while one housing estate near Chorley is said to have been “swamped” after a local reservoir overflowed.

Boxing Day football and racing events were hit, including the Welsh National in Chepstow, and Blackburn Rovers’ game with Middlesbrough.

The match between Blackpool and Oldham was postponed, as were the games between Hartlepool and Notts County, Morecambe and Mansfield and Accrington and Carlisle.

Electricity North West said extra engineers were desperately trying to repair damage.

Despite this, around 10,000 homes were left without electrical power in the Rochdale area last night.

Lancashire bore the brunt of the Boxing Day mayhem after it was hit by downpours forecast to fall on Cumbria, Lancashire police said.

With more rain forecast, there were 225 flood warnings still in place last night, 20 of them severe.

Cumbria, repeatedly hit by flash flooding in the run up to Christmas, didn’t escape the fresh onslaught.

Yesterday the flood defence siren was activated in Appleby, and many surrounding areas found themselves under water.

One resident, Martin Jackson, 32, who lives near Cockermouth, in the west of the county, was flooded for a fourth time on Boxing Day.

“It’s beyond a joke now,” he said.

“I’ve lived here all my life, but enough is enough, I’m moving.

“The problem is, we’ve already been told we’ll have to take a hit on the house price, because who’s going to want to buy a house prone to flooding?”

The Government’s emergency Cobra committee met on Christmas Day to discuss the emergency.

It it likely the 2nd Battalion, Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, will remain in the region to help shore up flood defences.

Meanwhile, the Government has announced £40 million worth of emergency funding to help rebuild roads in Cumbria and Lancashire.

Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans said there are lessons to be learned.

He said: “We need to learn the lessons, what action must be taken to ensure flood defences are put in place so these things don’t happen again.”

Peter Box, environment spokesman for the Local Government Agency, said councils are “pulling out all the stops” to find accommodation for people made homeless by the flooding.