Boxing Day Floods – 10 years on

Boxing Day 2025 will mark 10 years since the floods which devastated hundreds of homes across Salford.

As households were enjoying the Christmas festivities, Salford was experiencing the heaviest rain in its history, causing the River Irwell to burst its banks.

Around 300 of our properties were devastated by flood water across the Spike Island and Riverside Estates in Lower Broughton.

A decade on from that fateful night, Salix Homes tenant Keri Muldoon, who is also part of our Customer Committee, has been reflecting on the tragedy.

Keri’s home on Gordon Street was devastated by floodwater. She and her two children, who were aged five and 11 at the time, had been at her mum’s house in Higher Broughton when the floods struck.

She recalls: “Thinking back now, it’s quite unbelievable what we all went through. When it happened, it felt like the end of the world.

“Christmas Day had been a bit wet, but nothing you’d really even think about. Then on Boxing Day morning I remember seeing the river and thinking ‘that looks really high’. But I didn’t know anything about flooding or river levels back then, so I would never have envisaged something like this could happen.

“People had been trying to ring me all day, but my phone had died, so I had no idea that our estate had been flooded. I left my mum’s house at about 5pm and I saw a neighbour and he said ‘Keri – your house has been flooded’, but I just didn’t believe him.

“I had to park on Broughton Lane and walk to my house – the water was up to my waist. It was dark, noisy and muddy. It was like being in the river and the current was fast – it was scary.

“First, I just looked through the letterbox and everything was a foot under water. We’d lost everything – all the kid’s Christmas presents, everything destroyed.

“From that moment, we never even thought about Christmas again – Christmas was over.”

The water eventually receded in the early hours of the next morning and then the huge clean-up operation began. Salix Homes officers joined an army of volunteers and other agencies to support the clean-up and recovery operation over the following days, weeks and months.

Keri added: “The next day there were hundreds of people on our estate helping with the clean-up and bringing donations. Despite everything we went through, there have been positives to come out of what happened. It brought our community together and we’re more connected than we’ve ever been because we’ve all been through the same thing.”

Since the floods, Keri has become a flooding expert and activist in her community. She founded and is Chair of the 2,000-member Broughton Flood Group, sharing flood alerts and information with the wider community. She also volunteers with the Salford City Council Flood Forum.

Salix Homes CEO Liam Turner was our Environmental Services Manager at the time of the floods, and headed-up the team tasked with leading the recovery operation.

He recalls: “It’s hard to believe it’s been a decade since the floods. The clean-up began the day after Boxing Day, and the area was in absolute chaos – a total mess.

“I remember dragging sofas out of people’s homes, ripping up carpets, and watching boats go past on what had been streets only hours before. It was surreal, like nothing I’d ever seen before. The scale of the devastation was truly overwhelming.

“But amid all that chaos, the Salford community came together in a way only Salfordians can. The Salix team worked tirelessly alongside an army of local volunteers – people just kept turning up in their droves, bringing help, donations, and simply their time. It was awe-inspiring to see residents, charities, organisations and businesses all joining forces to support the flood victims.

“That Salford spirit, that determination to help each other, is what really stayed with me. It was heartbreaking to see the damage, but it was equally uplifting to see the community pull together and support one another in their hour of need.”