A MASSIVE clean-up operation was needed after torrential rain caused flooding.

Homes and parks along the banks of the River Irwell were flooded on Friday night, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.

Ramsbottom was badly affected, with its football and cricket grounds turned into lakes, and both greens at Nuttall Park bowling club saturated by the rainfall. The force of the flood uprooted perimeter metal fencing, brought down a floodlight and damaged the bowling pavilion. Bury Council owns the greens, while the club operates on a self-managed basis with 100 members.

Committee member, Brian Roebuck, said: “We’ve had 20 of our members involved in a clean-up of the greens.”

Bowling has been suspended this week, but officials hope it will resume from Monday.

There was flooding in Burrs Country Park, which affected organisers setting up Bury Agricultural Show.

The monsoon conditions sparked a rescue alert at 10pm on Friday to find a canoeist in the River Irwell. Police and fire crews, and the police helicopter, searched the river from Burrs for more than two hours after a member of the public spotted a canoe in the river, but the canoeist was later found to have got out of the water safely. A footpath next to the weir off Radcliffe Road, Bury, was washed away.

In Openshaw Fold Road, residents piled sandbags outside their houses to stop water getting inside and called the fire service. Damaged carpets and sofas were taken into the street the following day as the clean-up started. Close Park, in Dumers Lane, and the neighbouring Riverside estate were also badly affected.

Several inches of deep water covered the park, turning it into a lake and making many parts inaccessible.

Tennis courts, five-a-side football pitches and changing rooms, play areas, the bowling green and club house, storage rooms, ranger’s hut and car park were all affected by the flood.

Bury Hospice had to cancel its Party In The Park fundraiser because the park was water-logged.

A house owned by Craig and Heather Bowdler, of Parkside Close, had eight inches of water on the ground floor. The couple were enjoying their wedding reception at the time and neighbours tried to stop water getting inside.

A Bury Council spokesman said: “Both Nuttall and Close parks have suffered extensive damage. We are carrying out repairs at both sites and have made affected buildings safe and checked electrical systems.”