Simon Danczuk Abandons Flood Victims

December’s heavy rains returned yesterday, this time causing flooding not in Cumbria, the area that had been bracing itself for a third or even fourth clean-up in a month, but across Lancashire and Yorkshire. Many areas were inundated with surging rivers and there was widespread damage to properties. The floods even reached Manchester city centre. Also affected was the area around the Rover Roch.

This meant that the town of Rochdale was seriously affected by flooding. As the Manchester Evening News has told, “Parts of Rochdale were left under water after torrential rain caused flooding across Greater Manchester … Rochdale town centre was submerged on Boxing Day after heavy rain overnight, causing damage to homes and businesses as well as travel disruption”. There was more.

“Ian Pemberton, 26, described how his cafe, called Grandma Millie, had been virtually destroyed when floodwaters ripped through Rochdale town centre”. Someone whose now-estranged wife used to run a a café would, one might expect, have some empathy with the unfortunate Mr Pemberton. Rochdale’s nominally Labour MP Simon Danczuk had the ideal opportunity to show that he cared about his constituents.

He knew how bad it was

After all, he wasn’t one of those who had left the country for warmer climes over the Christmas and New Year break - he was there, in town, and demonstrated his presence and his concern by, er, going on BBC Radio Manchester to say how terrible the floods were. Wasn’t he getting out and about in the constituency? Well, no, but he was cheering everyone up by discussing the SunNation Christmas quiz.

So, yesterday evening, as the unfortunate residents of Rochdale, Littleborough and Milnrow began to count the cost of yet another bout of flooding, where was Danczuk? He had left town and travelled to Leyland, south of Preston, which was also affected by flooding. But he wasn’t bothering with that either: his sole reason for the trip was to go for a curry with his new squeeze Claire Hamilton.

Ms Hamilton is a councillor in Leyland, but it seems the flooding and its aftermath took second place to “Boxing Day drinks” with her new paramour. Yes, while the people they both represented began to clear up after what, for many of them, was the worst downpour they had ever seen, Simon Danczuk and Claire Hamilton were laughing the night away at “Leyland’s most prestigious curry venue for 28 years and counting”.

Many of those in the Rochdale and Leyland areas caught up in the floods won’t be able to even think of having a night out for long into the future. Their suffering might just have been assuaged by their local representatives showing a little concern for them - and showing their faces. Instead, Simon Danczuk has shown only contempt for his constituents by abandoning them for a night of personal gratification.

Thus more buyers’ remorse for those in Rochdale who voted Labour last May.