• 8,500 without power across North West
• Rochdale: Power restored to 14,500 properties, 5,500 remain without power
• Bury: Power restored to 1,600 properties, 500 remain without power
• Padiham: 1,000 without power
• A number of other areas are also affected across Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cumbria

In Rochdale, power had been restored to all but 2,500 homes and businesses in after flooding cut power to 20,000 properties, however 5,500 are now without power after one of the back-up substations also flooded.

Engineers are working to restore power to the remaining properties off supply.

30,000 properties are usually supplied with electricity from the main substation in Rochdale. Engineers from Electricity North West shifted 10,000 properties from the substation an hour before the flooding hit to secure supplies.

The remaining 20,000 properties were affected by a power cut at 10am, engineers restored power to 10,000 by 12.15pm and another 7,500 by 2pm.

Engineers from Electricity North West remain on site and are working in difficult conditions to repair damage caused by heavy rain and subsequent floods across the region.

In response to the Met Office weather warning for heavy rain the power operator has been closely monitoring the weather and put in place more than 22,000 sandbags to help protect key substations.

Mark Williamson, operations director for Electricity North West, said: “We're continuing to restore power to as many people as we can as quickly as we can. Unfortunately the flooding and continued rain is widespread and we are prioritising our teams to restore power to as many customers as possible.

"We still cannot access a number of substations in the region due to flooding, including Rochdale. As soon as we can safely get access we will assess the damage and will have a better idea of the repair work needed."

Flood defences at Rochdale substation were upgraded in 2010 as part of a £468k scheme to protect power supplies against a '1-in-200-year' flood.

Vulnerable customers, including some older or disabled people, or those with a medical dependency on electricity, can also sign up to the Priority Services Register by visiting www.enwl.co.uk/priority or contacting Electricity North West on 0800 195 4141.

For advice on how to stay safe in a flooding event, please visit www.enwl.co.uk/power-cuts/flooding-advice.

To report a power cut please call 0800 195 4141 or follow @ElectricityNW or visit www.electricitynorthwest.co.uk.