A NEW website has been set up to help people find out if they live or work in an area which is susceptible to flooding.

The Flood Hub is a 'one stop shop' initiative developed by the Environment Agency, United Utilities and the North West county strategic flood partnerships.

The website has a vast archive of information on how to come up with a contingency plan for your home or business in the event of excess water levels.

Hundreds of people were left temporarily homeless after waist-high water swamped parts of the Ribble Valley and Padiham in December 2015.

Areas of Whalley, Billington and Padiham were severely damaged and the army were called in to help try to stem the tide and support people forced out of their homes.

Residents in Whalley left their King Street homes in rescue boats on Boxing Day morning, some wearing shorts, wellington boots and carrying just a small rucksack of belongings.

There's information on how to spot early signs of flood risks, common misconceptions of flooding, flood recovery advice for farmers and more.

An in depth guide to keeping an eye on your drains, pipes and sewers has also been released by United Utilities so people can spot potential flooding dangers.

The website covers Lancashire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire and provide interactive maps showing where community groups, flood schemes and events are taking place.

It has also been funded by the North West Regional Flood and Coastal Committee.

A Flood Hub spokesman said: "We have pulled together multiple sources of guidance to produce a hub of information that gives an overview of flood resilience and it’s many related topics."

For more information, visit https://thefloodhub.co.uk/.