People return to Stockport apartment block after New Year's floods
Hundreds were forced to leave Meadow Mill after it was badly damaged during torrential downpours
People who were forced to leave a block of flats in Stockport following torrential downpours over New Year's Day have been told they can return home.
Some residents in Meadow Mill have been staying in hotels for three weeks - waiting for the building to be made safe.
David Howarth lost his car during the floods, he has been living out of a hotel room ever since, and has had to have time off work: "I did come back 2 days ago because we were told to leave the hotels and then come back... Then we were told we have to leave the building again because they were rebooking hotels.
"So it's just constant every day. You don't know where you're living but fingers crossed this is the end."
David walked Hits Radio Manchester through the apartment block: "Normally you've got a reception desk, soft seating, a full block of post boxes for the 216 apartments. There's normally somebody on reception during the day as well, so there's nobody.
"It's just exposed brick now and it goes throughout the whole the ground floor.
"I've got to be honest with you... after everything that's happened I've no hope. Obviously we want to reoccupy the building but as you can see there's weeks, months of work still to do in here that we're going to have to live around.
"There's going to be a lot of ongoing works and costs, so it feels quite strange.
"Obviously the lifts have not been repaired yet, they're out of use. We've not been given a date when those will be repaired so anybody with mobility issues is going to struggle."
In a recent update by CERT, the building management company they said: "We have also been asked to remind all residents visiting apartments to collect belongings that water should not be used for drinking until the freeholder confirms otherwise.
"The water systems in the properties have been chemically cleaned to ensure it is free from harmful contaminants/bacteria, with the process involving taking samples of drinking water and sending them away to a laboratory for testing.
"The results from this process are expected to be returned by 31st January 2025."
David said he wants answers about the floods: "I've written to our local MP who's agreed to meet me.
"I've already forwarded a list of concerns and questions that, not just myself but all the residents have. We don't want this to happen again and we need to know why did it happen in the first place, that's the big concern."
David also has questions for the Environment Agency: "It says the the floodgates opened about 12:00 in the afternoon, yet the fire brigade were here at 3:00 in the morning.
"There was also a flood warning the previous night. Why weren't those flood gates opened?
"It's ruined an estimate of four and a half million pounds worth of cars, you can see the damage in the building and the disruption, and to peoples livelihoods."
The Environment Agency's previously told Hits Radio Manchester flood defences worked as planned, and there were "a very large number" of warnings issued before the flooding on New Year's Day.
It comes as sand bags are dropped along the River Mersey - ahead of Storm Éowyn.