FLOODY AWFUL; Mayhem as rain and gales lash the North.. and it'll get worse.

Byline: PATRICK MULCHRONE

RAIN and high winds battered northern Britain yesterday - as experts warned of worse to come.

Massive downpours are forecast for the next few days, with dozens of flood warnings in place across the North and Wales. Roads were closed, and rail services disrupted as gusts of up to 60mph hit the region and more than 40mm of rain fell.

Homes were at risk in towns across Lancashire, especially in Chatterton and Strongstry, and areas near to the River Irwell which runs from Bacup to Salford. In West Yorkshire, roads in Todmorden were shut as the River Calder rose.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said crews had been to 13 weather-related incidents. In Salford, a landlord piled sandbags outside the Mark Addy pub as the Irwell threatened to break its banks.

In North Wales, four rural village schools in Conwy were closed because of flooding.

The A470 was closed between Betws y Coed and Dolwyddelan, and the main A5 route across North Wales was shut at Capel Curig. A mother and her son were rescued by firefighters after being trapped in a car on a country road at Bala.

Rail services on the Conwy Valley line which links Blaenau Ffestiniog with the North Wales coast were suspended, as was the line between Newtown and Machynlleth in mid Wales.

Forecasters yesterday warned the North West faced massive downpours over the next 36 to 48 hours - with Cumbria most at risk of flooding.

The Met Office said: "It's going to be a bit miserable with all that rain around - and very cloudy."

CAPTION(S):

AT RISK River Irwell rising in Salford