According to the Met Office, 19mm of rain fell on the North West over eight hours on Wednesday (31 July), which followed heavy rain over the weekend that overloaded rivers in Poynton, Little Bollington, Marple Bridge and Altrincham. Rivers in Rowsley and Chee Dale, Derbyshire, were also hit.
Key areas impacted were Poynton, Cheshire, and Stockport, Greater Manchester.
At Poynton-based commercial printer Galloways, the overnight downpour affected a nearby brook which ran behind the company’s industrial estate. The factory was flooded, with directors Andy and Matt Galloway rushing onsite in the early hours to act.
Matt Galloway (pictured below amid the aftermath) said: “We had to turn off all the power as the site had turned into a swamp.
“Police cordoned off the estate and we put everything at pallet height or higher to make sure it is safe. We were most worried about our new Heidelberg Speedmaster CX 102, but it seems to be in working order and we are back in production now.
“I have been mopping, cleaning and shovelling water all morning and as more staff came in it got easier. Nothing production-wise has been affected, and we feared it was going to be a lot worse. Ironically, it’s sunshine here now.”
Nearby Arrow Office, a print shop which also runs as a Printing.com franchise under Grafenia, sits on Park Lane, a main road in Poynton.
Joint owner Kirsty McCourt said: “We are on the main stretch of Park Lane but luckily our office is elevated a bit and it hasn’t affected us. The roads are closed at either side and some houses nearby have been damaged or evacuated, so we have been lucky.
“We are open and working as usual.”
However, in Stockport, bookbinder and printer Deanprint has been impacted and is currently assessing the damage. Nearby commercial outfit Print On has also been hit, having dealt with a “deluge” due to a blocked drain, according to director Keith Oldfield.
He said: “It has been a nightmare. With the drain blocked, the water has found a way into the building and hit one of our Xerox Versants. Everything else is working fine but we are bringing in an engineer to check what is good to run.
“We have survived but it looks like there may be more rain soon so hopefully it will not be as bad this time.”
For Buxton Press in Buxton, Derbyshire, the spa town’s elevated location served it well as the surrounding areas were hit hard and transport links to Stockport were blocked.
Head of marketing Lindsay Frost said: “Obviously there has been some localised flooding in some areas, but it is business as usual for us. We have been very fortunate up here on the hill, and long may that continue.”
Though much of the county of Yorkshire was less affected, York printer Wood Richardson continues to carry the memories of previous weather-related bedlam.
“We have not been affected this time, but I remember previously many of our suppliers struggled to get to us from Leeds,” said managing director James Richardson. “Luckily since then they have relocated, and we have been able to bring everything onsite.
“There has been a bit of flooding here, but everyone has got to work all right and we have heard no news that will affect us yet.”
