Huge clear-up after UK floods chaos

Hundreds of people spent a second night in evacuation centres as a huge clean-up operation continued after catastrophic floods…

Hundreds of people spent a second night in evacuation centres as a huge clean-up operation continued after catastrophic floods that claimed four lives.

A major clean-up operation is underway following severe flooding in Britain. Image: PA.
A major clean-up operation is underway following severe flooding in Britain. Image: PA.

Householders are counting the cost of the unprecedented downpours today as forecasters warned Britain could be hit by more heavy rain this weekend.

Last night, police searching for a man whose car was overwhelmed by floodwaters, confirmed they had found a body with a submerged vehicle at Bow Brook, in Pershore, Worcestershire.

A search was launched for the motorist after he telephoned his wife on his mobile phone to raise the alarm on Monday afternoon. It was the fourth life to be lost as a result of the disastrous flooding that has caused misery and devastation across the country. Schoolboy Ryan Parry (14) was swept to his death in a swollen river in Sheffield while returning home on Monday.

READ MORE

His father Chris said the teenager phoned him after school to say the buses were not running and he would make his own way back. Mr Parry told the Daily Mirror: "I've been over that short and sweet conversation 10,000 times. I can't think about it now. I'm in bits."

Earlier the same day Mike Barnett (28) died after becoming trapped in a storm drain in Hessle, near Hull, despite a frantic attempt by emergency services to save him.

The flooding also claimed the life of a 68-year-old man in Sheffield as he tried to cross a road flooded by water at about 8pm on Monday. He was with two other men and was swept away, possibly as he tried to leave his stranded car.

People living near Ulley Dam in South Yorkshire were told to leave their homes early yesterday morning after Rotherham Council said there was a "significant risk" the dam walls could burst.

As water levels rose in surrounding villages, more residents were evacuated to rest centres. More than 100 people in Treeton and Whiston were taken to Herringthorpe Leisure Centre, Dinnington Comprehensive School and Maltby Comprehensive School.

After battling all day to stop the dam collapsing, engineers described the situation as "critical but stable" last night.

Jamie Courtney, head of service delivery for South Yorkshire Fire Service, said: "We have a real possibility of failure of the Ulley Reservoir wall, the consequences of which would be widespread damage and flooding.

"This is a precautionary measure for the public's safety and we would ask people to co-operate fully." The nearby M1 remained closed overnight between junctions 32 and 35 northbound and junctions 32 and 36 southbound because of concerns about the dam.

South Yorkshire Police said the motorway's closure would be reviewed at 8am today, but urged people not to travel in the area unless it was essential.

Agencies