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The M62 has been closed around a 20ft sinkhole which opened up in the road as the north of England was battered by a month's rain in a few hours.

The massive hole opened up between junctions 20 and 19 near Rochdale, Greater Manchester shortly after midday, bringing traffic grinding to a halt.

The westbound carriageway has been closed as engineers examine the scene.

Meanwhile, the Met Office has issued 'danger to life' flood warnings and the army has been called in to evacuate residents in flood-hit parts of Lancashire and Yorkshire.

Forecasters have warned people to expect more rain and flooding this evening across Lancashire and Yorkshire.

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A Highways Agency spokesman said: "When the road surface experiences rainfall like we've had today even a slight change in temperature can cause weakness in the road surface.

"We've got engineers on site investigating exactly what has happened and what work is required to fix it.

"The hole appears to span two lanes and we're hoping to get one lane re-opened by 2pm to ease some of the traffic problems."

The closure is also expected to cause havoc for football fans travelling to Boxing Day fixtures, including fans heading to the Etihad Stadium for Manchester City's Premier League clash against Sunderland.

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

Forecasters have warned people to expect widespread flooding and surface water across Lancashire and Yorkshire.

There are currently more than 335 alerts in place across England, Wales and Scotland, including 15 at the most severe level.

Villages such as Whalley and Ribchester were left waist deep in water after a Boxing Day morning deluge which saw five inches of rain come down.

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A number of roads have been shut as some towns and villages are completely cut off by flood water.

Residents in Ilkley in West Yorkshire have been left stranded after virtually all roads in and out of the town were left underwater.

The A55 between Bangor and Llanfairfechan in north Wales was shut after becoming submerged by flood water in the early hours of this morning.

(Image: Twitter/@DanyRobson1) (Image: Getty)

A number of roads in Bury and Rochdale in Greater Manchester, were also shut by dramatic scenes of flooding.

Around 10,000 homes in the area have been left without electricity because of the problems.

Yorkshire towns such as Hebden Bridge, Todmorden and Skipton are also affected.

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Andrew Geldeard, 57, from Whalley, told Mirror.co.uk residents in the village are being evacuated by the army.

He told Mirror.co.uk: "I live just outside the village but came down on my morning run and ended up up to my waist.

"The village is almost completely underwater and they've closed all the roads. A number of the houses look to have been flooded and there are people being evacuated by army lads right now.

"It's heartbreaking for the village, particularly at this time of year. We've had flooding two or three times in recent times but this is as bad as I can remember."

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In Summerseat, Greater Manchester, dramatic footage reveals how The Waterside pub has complete collapsed as a result of the deluge.

The local landmark had stood for at least 100 years before today.

Parts of Manchester and Leeds city centres were hit by flooding minor flooding as people were warned to stay away from affected areas.

A further spell of heavy showers is expected this evening.

Homeowners have been warned to take measures to protect their properties and remain safe.

Motorists have also been urged to plan any journeys carefully.