Way back in 1982 I was on my way back to school from my dinner break. I was strolling along the river irwell when I heard a lot of splashing, looking into the river I saw a dog swimming around in circles now although he seemed very happy in the river the water was so low there was no way he could get out . I had to lean down into the river with my mate holding onto my legs to get hold of the dog and get him out.
Now in the present having heard of the terrible flooding in the area I came down to see the damage for myself ,seeing all the rubbish and silt that had been dumped by the river was a big shock,and I could only imagine how bad it was for people whose houses had been flooded. What struck me was how deep the river was three weeks after the floods had receded ,the dog I had saved all those years ago would have been able to step out of the river onto the bank without any help from me if it happened today