Woman dies in ‘biblical’ floodwater
AWOMAN has died after apparently being swept away by floodwater, as parts of the Midlands and northern England were battered by a month’s worth of rain in one day.
The body of the woman, who has not been identified, was recovered in Darley Dale, near Matlock, at around 10.40am yesterday, Derbyshire Police said.
She was reported to have been swept away by floodwater in Rowsley in the early hours, as much of the country was hit by downpours.
The death came as the Environment Agency repeated warnings for people to stay away from swollen rivers, with residents describing the deluge as “almost biblical”.
Yorkshire and the Midlands were the worst-affected areas, with six severe “danger to life” warnings in place around the river Don as of 1pm.
Fire crews were called in to help guide people to safety, while rail and road users were warned against travelling on certain routes.
Elsewhere, shoppers spent a night stranded in Sheffield’s Meadowhall shopping centre after all routes home were cut off by the floods.
Residents in Toll Bar, near the town of Doncaster, described Thursday’s downpour as “almost biblical”, while others made comparisons with deluges which devastated communities in the summer of 2007.
The Environment Agency reduced its number of flood warnings – meaning flooding is expected – to below the 100 mark by 11am yesterday.
Swineshaw, in the Peak District, saw 112mm of rainfall during Thursday – the highest total of anywhere across England – while flood-hit parts of Sheffield experienced 85mm during the same period.
The average monthly rainfall total for Yorkshire at this time of year is 89mm, although forecasters have predicted the worst of the rain has been and gone.
The Environment Agency said river levels peaked in Sheffield and Rotherham overnight and are starting to fall, although they are still high in the Doncaster area, with further flood impacts anticipated over the coming 24 hours as water travels downstream.
Toll Bar Post Office worker Kathleen Overton, 61, told the PA news agency: “It was almost biblical, I would say. You were just looking out of your window in disbelief.”
Residents in Yarborough Terrace, in Doncaster, were having to be rescued from their homes by boats yesterday as waist-high water filled the street.