WATH and Bolton suffered painful deja vu on Monday as torrential rain brought back memories of last summer’s devastating floods. Roads and schools were closed and panicking residents frantically tried to safeguard their possessions as a downpour turned roads into rivers and fields into lakes. Some 27.4mm of rain fell in 24 hours, compared to 61mm in 24 hours during last summer’s floods. Barnsley Road and Station Road in Wath were closed after flooding left them impassable, causing traffic chaos across the town. Pupils at Wath C of E school were sent home after the playground and driveway flooded, and Wath Comp and St Pius were also closed because of transport fears. In Bolton, residents of Riverside Gardens and the surrounding streets braced themselves as they watched the Dearne rise six inches in less than two hours. Graham Burton only moved back into his Riverside Gardens home on Christmas Eve after repairing the damage in the summer floods. He blamed the council and the Environment Agency for not doing enough to prevent a repeat disaster. “Nothing’s been done since last time, that’s the problem. If they’d done something then there wouldn’t be a problem. “We phoned the council first thing this morning and asked about sandbags. They said they‘re assessing the situation.” The council delivered a truckload of sandbags at 3pm, but residents said there were not enough. Neighbour Jenny Mattrick said: “We’ve got one each. I’m not sure where I’m going to put mine. “The river needs dredging. We’ve just got anxiety every time it rains.”