They were handed the awards at a South Yorkshire Police ceremony in Sheffield, for working around the clock to rescue people from care homes, businesses and houses as water levels rose last June.

Barnsley-based police inspector Mihajlo Milinkovic, who liaises with both teams, said their specialist vehicles were needed for waterlogged roads.

They were on standby when the dam at Ulley Reservoir was at risk of bursting, they rescued 42 residents from a care home in Rotherham, and they helped out on the Winn Gardens estate in Sheffield where around 200 residents were trapped in their homes. Insp Milinkovic added: "Their assistance was first class and they cannot be praised enough for that dedication."

Assistant Chief Constable Andy Holt, who presented the commendations, said: "It's been said a volunteer is twice a citizen and we certainly recognise and appreciate the help given to us by the mountain rescue teams during these exceptional circumstances.The emergency services were very hard-pressed to answer all the demands for assistance at that time and we relied on a number of organisations to provide specialist support in managing this incident.

"The mountain rescue teams are included in these.

"They have expertise in helping to search often inaccessible areas and this expertise was very much needed during the floods to help protect the public."

Mike France, leader of the Woodhead Mountain Rescue Team, said the commendations were "a great honour".

"We are here to support the police and other emergency services and we were pleased to be able to take some of the pressure off them during those critical hours," he said.

"The incident has also done a lot for our learning, as it wasn't our usual run-of-the-mill job. We have since done some new risk assessments and training and we now have a specialist water team who can give advice."





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