Daily bulletins about the floods in many places in the North West of the UK have been a feature of television news programmes in recent weeks.

[I'll spare you the drama and the controversy as to why the floods happened and who was to blame.] 

   In 2016, the River Weaver in Nantwich's town centre, was higher than for most of the year (right), but not a problem.

   It was much worse in the summer of 2017 as the

images on this page ()below) show.  

TOWNSPEOPLE woke up on June 26, 2007, to find that the River Weaver had burst its banks after overnight rain that was the culmination of days of wet weather and grey clouds.

   The rising water cut off the path across Mill Island from the Waterlode to the Millfields housing estate and that from Shrewbridge Road to the same estate.

   One resident who had taken her dogs for a walk the previous evening with just a paddle in shallow water, approached the floods and said: "I'll just tuck my trousers into my boots before I go across."

   She changed her mind when she was told the water was at least two feet deep, and possibly three feet.

Many local photographers were out and about with their cameras, capturing the scenes.

   Above is a panoramic view of the River Weaver as it flows alongside the Waterlode, our inner ring road (right of picture). And just above centre of the image, left, is where the channel that runs around the former corn mill site rejoins the water which flowed through the mill. The flow of the river from behind the camera is fed by the

mill race (see the foot of this page) which used to take the overflow when the water wasn't flowing through a turbine in the mill.

   Nowadays, it carries the water under a path across Mill Island to the Millfields housing estate. The rising water cut off that path, giving residents a much longer walk into town.

   In the far distance is the Welsh Row bridge.

Two people realise their way home is blocked and a detour across soggy grass is called for

No one will be using this seat today. Not that it is sitting out weather, any way.

The view from the opposite direction with the path indicated by the street light

This is not the River Weaver, but land next to it covered by flood water 

The racing river as seen from Mill Island, opposite to  the Waterlode

 Castle Court apartments are across the river in this view similar to the one centre of this row

This "island" of trees used to be dry land at the junction of the waters

The river has almost reached the top of the bridge arch as it flows under Welsh Row

One of the photographers "captures" the river blocking the footpath

The water is nearer to these house than it usually flows on its original course

This tree used to stand on dry land by the side of the path across Mill Island

The Weir Pool (still called The Willows at the time the image was taken)

Left: The mill race - doing just that. This channel, at the side of the old corn mill site, used to carry the water from the diverted river when it was not driving the grindstone gear in the mill. 

Right: With the water nearly over his wellington boots and still barely a quarter of the way across, it's time for this man and his dog to think again about crossing the flooded river