Aerial video shows the collapsed Cheshire Canal

Heavy rain lashed parts of Britain causing the banks of a canal to collapse in Cheshire on New Year’s Day.

Drone footage showed how fields near the village of Little Bollington, which is close to Altrincham, were flooded with water coming from the Bridgewater Canal.

Cheshire Police said nearby properties were evacuated and a section of the M56 had to be closed.

It came on the same day that Greater Manchester Police declared a major incident as people were trapped in their homes due to floodwaters in the northwest of England.