Sheffield storms: 21 extraordinary photos showing devastation in Sheffield after deadly hurricane in 1962

Storms Elin and Fergus caused widespread disruption, with fierce winds uprooting trees and heavy rain leading to flooding.

But the damage they caused was nothing compared with the trail of destruction left by a deadly hurricane which tore through Sheffield on February 16, 1962.

Four people tragically died and 250 were injured as ferocious winds of up to 96mph lashed the city, damaging some 70,000 homes.

Some people described the devastation it caused as being ‘worse than the blitz’.

Among those killed was John William Johnson, aged just 17. Shirley Margaret Hill – wife of Brightside vicar Rev Colin Hill – also lost her life, with the vicarage damaged beyond repair.

Many survivors were evacuated to emergency refuges, with the suburbs of Attercliffe, Crookes and Heeley among the worst-hit areas of the city.

At Sheffield United's Bramall Lane ground, a floodlight pylon was reduced to a heap of twisted metal, while a packed train heading from London to Sheffield narrowly avoided hitting debris on the track at Heeley. The estimated cost of the damage was around £2 million – equivalent to more than £45m in today’s money.

These retro photos show some of the worst of the damage caused.