A WINE bar in Ellesmere Port was flooded by torrential rain.

A downpour on Thursday afternoon caused the drains near Legends on Station Road to back up into its cellar.

Although town fire crews say the water was fairly shallow, it came very near to an electrics cupboard at one point. In the end, the wiring wasn't damaged.

Officers used specialist equipment from their mobile damage control unit to pump the water out of the cellar, leaving it water damaged.

Leading firefighter Andy Scott said: 'The club has been flooded three times in the past few weeks. We were called there on Thursday just before 5pm and were there for three and a half hours.

'There are three drains going into one drain outside the club and we understand that they are narrow. So when it rains heavily, water backs up.'

One engine and the brigade's Damage Control Unit, which is used in environmental incidents such as floods, were brought in to deal with the water.

Mr Scott said: 'We got a light portable pump in to pump the water out.

'At one point, it came within two feet of an electrical cupboard, but didn't touch it. In the end, everything was OK there.'

The management at Legends are now believed to be consulting drain experts.

A club spokesman said: 'The water was about two feet high and flooded part of our cellar. The fire crews pumped it out.

'We believe it was caused by one of the drains in the road outside.'