'Danger to life' severe flood warnings issued as river levels rise

8 November 2019, 11:51 | Updated: 8 November 2019, 12:39

Residents in a village which was struck by flooding in 2007 have told how "almost biblical" rain came pouring down throughout Thursday.

Parts of Toll Bar, near Doncaster, have been submerged in water, with some saying that the community is on "red alert" for further flooding.

Doncaster Council has warned some residents to evacuate their homes because the River Don is breaching its banks near St Oswald Church at Kirk Sandall.

The council tweeted: "There is a Severe Flood Warning in place for Sandal Grove, Old Kirk Sandall. Residents in these areas are advised to evacuate immediately."

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue say they're working with the Environment Agency and other blue light services to keep people safe.

They declared a major incident at around 10.30pm last night, with the worst of the flooding in the Sheffield, Doncaster and Rotherham areas.

They've told us they've had 500 emergency calls to the fire service overnight, which was mostly people trapped in properties or vehicles.

100 people were rescued from Parkgate Shopping Centre in Rotherham and neighbouring retail outlets.

They have drafted in extra equipment from all over the country, with 5 extra high volume pumps, and 13 rescue boats.

Meadowhall is back open this morning, they say the centre "remains dry and secure". A statement goes on to say: "The safety and security of our customers, staff and retail teams remains of paramount importance. We will therefore continue to monitor the situation in the surrounding area, liaising with the relevant local authorities to provide continuous updates."

"We anticipate that nearly 80,000 people visited Meadowhall yesterday and less than 30 customers remained in our building throughout the night. They were supported by night staff, security and members of the Meadowhall management team who where possible helped them to either secure hotel accommodation nearby or arrange taxis home. For those who were unable to get to their home safely or preferred to stay with us due to adverse weather conditions where they live, we looked after them by providing an array of blankets, coats and towels as well as a continuous supply of refreshments."

Rail operator Northern has issued 'do not travel' advice for passengers using five lines on its network hit by the deluge.

The lines involved are between Sheffield and Gainsborough, Sheffield and Lincoln, Sheffield and Goole, Hebden Bridge and Rochdale, and the line from Sheffield to Leeds via Moorthorpe.