Broadfield Road Heeley: How Sheffield street looks after storms led to demolition of shop and Sheaf bridge
This is how a Sheffield river bank looks after storm damage, severely affecting flood defences, led to the demolition of a shop and a bridge.
The Environment Agency arranged for the demolition of The Antiques Emporium, on Clyde Road, Heeley, after buying the building when storms severely affected flood defences and the banks of the River Sheaf.
Clyde Road has been closed since.
The River Sheaf Walk pedestrian footbridge, near Broadfield Road, has also been demolished, after it too was affected by recent storms.
The empty spaces where the building and bridge once stood can be seen in the picture above.
The footbridge has been removed, with the remaining crossing in the picture being a service crossing, full of electricity cables.
A flood wall collapsed during storms in 2024, and Storm Claudia caused damage to a second wall in November.
However, the Government says the Environment Agency is making significant progress in restoring the flood defences, with works to continue this year.
Officials at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs say the work has reduced the risk of flooding and further collapses into the river, and will enable the future replacement of the damaged flood wall.
They say Storm Claudia caused further damage on the opposite side of the river.
Now they say they have made significant progress towards restoring the flood defences, despite the further damage caused late last year.
Temporary flood defences were first put in place at Broadfield Road in October 2024, when a flood wall collapsed into the River Sheaf during heavy rain, leaving the building and footbridge seriously damaged.
The Environment Agency bought the damaged the Antiques Emporium and has recently completed its demolition as well as the removal of the footbridge.
They say this has now reduced the risk of flooding and further collapses into the river and will enable the future replacement of the damaged flood wall.
However, they confirmed that the high river levels during Storm Claudia in mid-November caused another section of wall to partially collapse and some erosion on the opposite side of the river.
The Environment Agency has now had work done to remove debris and stabilise the channel, and say additional temporary flood defences have been installed.
Kimberley MacPherson, from the Environment Agency, said: “We have made significant progress on restoring flood defences at Broadfield Road and will work to complete them as quickly as we can.
“The further damage caused by Storm Claudia means that our works are going to take longer than planned, however we hope to be able to open Clyde Road this summer, and we thank the local community for their patience.
“Our main priority is protecting people from flooding. We continually monitor rainfall and river levels and urge people to get free flood warnings at Get flood warnings by text, phone or email - GOV.UK.”
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The Emporium on Clyde Road closed after the River Sheaf rose 5ft following heavy rain at the start of October 2024.
A flood wall to the rear of the premises, and the foundations of a footbridge carrying River Sheaf Walk, were washed away in the deluge.
Clyde Road has traditionally been a popular cut through between Broadfield Road and Chesterfield Road in Meersbrook.
South Yorkshire was hit by flood alerts again in November 2025, as high water levels again hit the city’s rivers.