Catcliffe flood clean up begins as further yellow rain warning in place

Rotherham Council say water is now being pumped away from homes hit by Storm Babet last Friday (October 20).

Emergency services evacuated 120 homes in the area in the early hours of Saturday morning as the River Rother rose to its highest level recorded.

Residents took shelter at the rest centre set up with the local parish council at Catcliffe Memorial Hall, which has been open since evacuations began.

The Environment Agency has assessed the water levels and pumps have been put in place to drain the water, with support from council officers on site.

Councillor Chris Read, leader of Rotherham Council said: “I have been on site at Catcliffe today talking to residents and hopefully providing some reassurance that things are being done to get the water away from people’s homes so they can get back into them, which is the number one priority here.

“I have seen for myself the impact and devastation this has had on people and their families, and my heart goes out to those affected by the floods across the borough, including Catcliffe.

“Our teams have been out supporting communities since Friday, distributing hundreds of sandbags in key areas and to properties thought likely to be affected.”

Sharon Kemp, Rotherham Council’s chief executive added: “We have seen some fantastic shows of togetherness as communities pull together to support us in minimising the impact of Storm Babet. This includes supporting wider efforts to pump water away from homes. A huge thank you to those who supported and continue to support at this time.”

The community is bracing itself for further rain, as a yellow weather warning is in place across parts of Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire until 4pm today.

Rotherham Council says water levels will continue to be monitored and appropriate action will be taken, where necessary.

Whilst the weather has improved, there remains surface water on some roads and the advice to residents is to not to walk or drive through flood waters.