Surrounded by water, it was only the beginning of the nightmare

When heavy rain led to widespread flooding across Greater Manchester last week, residents in a converted Stockport mill were among the hardest hit.

Water poured into the car park - leaving vehiles submerged - and the ground floor at Meadow Mill, people found themelsves stranded in their homes without power. Others were stuck outside in the early hours of New Year's Day.

A swift emergency response helped rescue desperate residents who set up a WhatsApp group to help each other out. Many say they were told to pack for two days. Most did what they could to get by. Some slept on floors with family members, others booked hotels.

People shared gym codes so those with nowhere to go could shower and stay warm. The tight-knit community pulled together more than ever. It provided some light in a difficult situation.

In the aftermath of the flooding, a massive clear-up operation began to remove water from around the mill. Residents say they were updated on January 2 by CERT - the company managing the building on behalf of the freeholder AWAL Investments.

But by the weekend of January 4, the building, next to the Portwood Tesco store near the town centre, was still without power as people were forced to book short-term stays in hotels and Airbnbs to get by, racking up huge bills.

By January 8 some tenants running out of cash moved back into their 'freezing' cold flats, which had no power or running water. One Meadow Mill resident, who spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service anonymously, said she could see her own breath in the apartment.

Hannah Miles and Bradley Mullen, both aged 19 and renting a flat in the mill, said they spent hundreds of pounds paying for accommodation and takeaways, not knowing when they could return to