UK flood warnings – Military helicopter scrambled to help flooded Yorkshire as map reveals worst-hit areas
A MILITARY helicopter was today scrambled to help those caught up in parts of flood-hit Yorkshire – as more heavy rain is set to continue to batter other parts of the country.
The Chinook had been working through the night to bolster defences near Doncaster where hundreds of residents have been forced to flee their homes.
It has been ferrying bags of aggregate on to flood banks in the Bentley area on Doncaster near to the area which was inundated by floodwater on Friday.
The air drops came as the Met Office issued fresh weather warnings for heavy rain in South Yorkshire and other parts of Britain.
A new yellow warning now covers a large area from Huddersfield down to Derby, with forecasters adding that “heavy showers are likely to cause flooding”.
WIDESPREAD FLOODING
Cities and towns including Lincoln, Boston, Peterborough, Huddersfield and Tewkesbury are also likely to be hit with flooding.
The RAF helicopter was deployed following the request of the Environment Agency, which said on Twitter: “We’ve asked for military support to move aggregate to the #BentleyIngs area.
“This doesn’t represent a further risk. The aggregate is being used to add further strength to a #flood defence in the area.”
It comes after around half the 700 residents of Fishlake, near Doncaster, left the village as the River Don burst its banks last week.
Those who stayed behind have been helping themselves amid the waist-high floods, with the local cafe and pub supplying food to those trapped inside their homes.
We’ve asked for military support to move aggregate to the Bentley Ings area.
Environment Agency
But on Sunday – as Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was “in awe” of the resilience of flood-hit communities – Doncaster Council said it will not be providing “on the ground support” in Fishlake as the advice remains for residents to evacuate.
In a statement, the PM said the Government’s emergency Bellwin scheme had been activated to reimburse eligible councils for certain costs they incur.
Mr Johnson said: “On Friday, I visited Matlock in Derbyshire, where the flooding has caused devastation to people’s homes and livelihoods.
FATAL FLOODING
“I’m in awe of the community’s spirit and resilience in the face of this awful ongoing event.
“It is the same spirit seen in the affected areas across Yorkshire and the Midlands this past week.
“It is the stories of volunteers, of neighbours and of friends often literally carrying each other through this time that I have found immensely uplifting.”
The Met Office said on Sunday that more rain is expected to hit the UK overnight. It has issued yellow weather warnings for heavy rain on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
The warnings cover the same areas that are still dealing with the aftermath from Thursday and Friday’s downpours stretching from Yorkshire to Derbyshire and the East Midlands.
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Several areas were deluged with one month’s worth of rain in a day, and a woman died after being swept up in floodwaters.
The body of Annie Hall, the former High Sheriff of Derbyshire, was found in the River Derwent on Friday morning after she was engulfed by floodwater in Darley Dale, near Matlock.
On Sunday evening the number of “danger to life” severe flood warnings was reduced from seven to five. All are along the River Don in Yorkshire.
There were also 43 active flood warnings and 103 flood alerts.
