THE Sixties saw two floods which at the time were described as the most violent and destructive in living memory.

And residents of Mill Street, Baxenden, were among the worst affected on both occasions.

The first storm struck one Saturday afternoon in August 1960 when over two inches of rain fell, accompanied by searing flashes of lightning and terrific thunder. Flood water swept through houses and factories and it was Operation Mop and Bucket for the rest of the weekend.

In Baxenden, the worst-hit area, residents fled upstairs and had to be rescued by firemen from their bedroom windows. In Mill Street 10 houses were flooded to a depth of three or four feet, with the water topping the keys of an upright piano in one house.

Five cars were trapped under the railway bridge at West End, Oswaldtwistle, and the Fire Brigade dealt with 70 calls in three-and-a-half hours, including at Grange Lane, Accrington.

But even that spectacular flood was surpassed in July 1964, on the first day of the Wakes Week holidays, when a savage storm caused £2M-worth of damage.

The storms reached a climax around midday after raining all morning. Over three inches of rain fell and 10 houses and a shop in Baxenden were so badly damaged that 27 people, including six children, had to be rehoused.

Highams' cotton mill suffered £25,000-worth of damage and the Mayor later set up a relief fund.

The landlord at the Bridge Inn in Accrington said: "I've experienced monsoons in India and Brazil, but never anything like this."