A WOMAN has been found dead in Derbyshire after flooding brought chaos to Britain today.

Her body was recovered from the River Derwent in Darley Dale by helicopter after she was swept away by flood water in Rowsley, about two miles away.

It comes as hundreds of families have been evacuated after biblical rain sparked havoc across Britain with roads submerged and railway lines blocked in a 24-hour deluge.

A Derbyshire Police spokesman said: “The body of a woman has been recovered from flood water in Darley Dale.

“Emergency services were called to a stretch of the River Derwent in Darley Dale, close to Matlock, in the early hours of this morning (8 Nov).

“The woman was reported as having been swept away by flood water in Rowsley and the body of what is believed to be the same woman was found in Darley Dale and was recovered at 10.40am.”

The woman's family has been informed, with formal identification yet to take place.

HOMES EVACUATED

Torrential downpours caused mayhem with dozens of shoppers sleeping overnight in Sheffield's Meadowhall shopping centre after being trapped by flooding.

More than 400 homes in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, were evacuated, with rescuers using dinghies to tow residents and pets to safety.

Locals piled sandbags up to stop flood waters drenching homes in Bentley, north of Doncaster after last night's heavy rain.

At least a month's worth of rain was dumped on parts of the country in 24 hours, with residents forced to evacuate homes in Mansfield and Kirk Sandall, Doncaster after the River Don burst its banks.

And there are fears of more chaos to come with severe flood warnings in place at the River Don in Yorkshire at Barnby Dun, Kirk Bramwith, Kirk Sandall, South Bramwith and Willow Bridge Caravan Site.

FLOOD MISERY

The Environment Agency warned of a "danger to life" as river levels have swollen after the heavy rain overnight.

The website River Levels UK shows the Don is at a record level of 4.669m and rising at Sprotbrough, with the highest previous level 3.49m on July 7, 2012.

By late morning, more than 200 flood warnings and alerts remained in place, with northern England bearing the brunt of the misery.

Rail operator Northern 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.

Railway lines on some services were blocked by the deluge, with poor road conditions sparking more chaos for commuters.

Severe flooding at Rotherham Central, Moorthorpe and Conisbrogh caused services to be suspended.

A Northern spokesman said: "We are still advising customers on several routes not to travel as flooding is making rail and road travel extremely difficult.

"Colleagues at Network Rail are inspecting the tracks and working hard to return them to normal, but at present we have no estimate as to when we will be able to operate services on the affected routes."

Other train companies hit by the weather include CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, LNER, TransPennine Express, Transport for Wales and Virgin Trains.

East Midlands Railway said heavy rain was disrupting routes between London St Pancras and Nottingham, Sheffield and Matlock, Derby and Nottingham.

The downpours also caused mayhem on roads as several routes were blocked and some vehicles were abandoned in floodwater.

South Yorkshire Police warned flooding is causing "significant issues" with South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue carrying out more than 100 rescue operations overnight.

Elderly people were among those evacuated from Willow Bridge Caravan site, Doncaster after the River Don breached its banks.

Residents on Yarborough Terrace were rescued from their homes by boats on Friday as waist-high water filled the street.

Police cars surrounded the area as rescue teams put down sandbags.

One woman, who has lived in her home on the street for more than 20 years, said the downstairs of her property had filled with water at around 7am on Friday.

"I've never known it to be this bad", she said.

Another woman, who did not wish to be named, said she will have to house her daughter and grandchildren for the next few days as a result of the flooding.

She said: "We've just taken the decision to get out of here as soon as possible – it's dangerous as it is and it'll only get worse."

Saturday's horse-racing meeting at Doncaster has been cancelled due to a waterlogged track.

And there were reports of fish swimming in the flood water through Longford, near Warrington.

Derbyshire Police have also warned of widespread flooding and advised motorists not to move flood signs or use routes that were closed after the heavy rains.

Superintendent Mat Healey, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "A multi-agency response has been put in place to deal with this major incident affecting a large number of properties in Worksop and Mansfield and the wider impacts across the county.

River levels are expected to subside, but it may take some time with the ground saturated, he added.

This morning, Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted: "Awful to see the terrible flooding across the North of England. Thank you to the emergency staff & volunteers helping families through this difficult time."

In Sheffield, shoppers were forced to by Primark pyjamas to spend the night sleeping in Sheffield's Meadowhall centre amid flooding chaos.

The centre was put on lockdown and about 30 customers trying to get a head start on their Christmas shopping had to stay inside.

Stranded shoppers shared images on social media of people who had to buy pjs from Primark and blankets to stay warm.

Other images showed people sleeping on benches and families dining the food hall.

Shopper Becky Laver told BBC Radio Sheffield: "No-one looks happy, everyone looks miserable."

"People are having to buy their own pyjamas and quilts because of how cold and wet they are from the rain."

Saskia Hazelwood, 17, from Doncaster, said: "When we got to Meadowhall it was very hectic and we heard about the flooding and saw the river about to burst.

"Our trains were then cancelled so we went to get food, then spoke to the police and security and they told us it was unsafe to leave and there was no way of getting in or out.

"So we instantly started panicking and, when we found out there was no way of getting home, we went into Primark and all bought spare clothes and we bought food and drinks to keep us going throughout the night."

MOST READ IN NEWS

One stranded shopper tweeted: “We’re being given nothing, no blankets or anything. People have had to go to Primark to buy everything themselves as it’s freezing in Meadowhall.”

Last night, thirty five homes were evacuated following a mudslide.

Residents on a road in Mansfield were evacuated just before 5pm after part of a quarry collapsed following heavy rainfall.

Source: Read Full Article