Live Blog: 'Do not travel' warning issued as Sheffield is battered by storm

Police cordons are in place in Heeley this afternoon amid reports of a mass brawl in which baseball bats were used.

Emergency services were reportedly deployed to Brooklyn Road, at its junctions with Valley Road and Rushdale Road, between 10.45am and 11.15am today.

According to residents in the area a number of people were involved in the disturbance and weapons, including baseball bats, are believed to have been used.

At least two people, including a woman, were said to have been seriously injured in the incident.

Read more here.

The River Sheaf running through Millhouses Park is still high and the playground is cordoned off this afternoon.

Sheffield Council closed the park yesterday amid flooding fears.

Swathes of parkland are under water and the playground is taped off to keep children out.

Read more here.

A main road linking Sheffield with the Peak District has been hit by damage and flooding caused by a series of recent storms.

Water, debris and what appears to be damage to the road surface has been reported in several places along Loxley Road in Loxley after several storms battered the city.

Some of the most severe of the flooding appears to be collected around the junction with Rowell Lane where debris was also strewn across the road and water was seen bubbling up out of drains.

Read more here.

Hundreds of homes across Sheffield have been left without power after Storm Franklin swept through the city, which was also hit by flooding, this morning.

Northern Powergrid said that as of 11.30am today, Monday, February 21, more than 700 properties around the city were affected by power cuts and its engineers were working to get them reconnected as soon as possible.

The worst affected part of Sheffield this morning was the S5 postcode area around Firth Park, where the utility firm said the power cut was first reported shortly after 8am and around 340 premises were without electricity. Northern Powergrid said it hoped to restore power by 7.45pm.

Find out more about the affected areas here.

All river levels in Sheffield and surrounding areas are starting to drop this afternoon and most flood warnings are expected to be withdrawn later today.

In an update released by Sheffield City Council today, there are no plans to issue any further weather warnings at the moment, but some remain in place for high-risk areas.

The Environment Agency said the affected areas are River Don at Sheffield Wednesday, Owlerton, River Sheaf at Saxon Road, Myrtle Bridge and Queens Road Retail Park, River Sheaf at Broadfield Road and London Road South, River Don at Meadowhall and Carbrook, River Don at Blackburn Meadow, Loxley along Holme lane and Owlerton.

In terms of weather conditions, the forecasters at the Met Office said the risk of up to 60mph winds remain but gusts will gradually decrease in the afternoon, with showers expected.

Read more here.

Water levels in the River Loxley have risen today, threatening to cause flood damage at riverside properties in Hillsborough.

Persistent rainfall over the last week and a battering from storms Desmond, Eunice, and Franklin have badly affected some Sheffield communities.

Today at 9am the water level in the River Loxley reached 0.69m, well above its typical range of 0.06m and 0.11m.

Several flood warnings were issued across Sheffield yesterday – and today two flood warnings were issued along the Loxley, at Owlerton and Holme Lane.

Treswell Crescent and Langsett Road, Hillsborough, streets which both border the Loxley, looked to be at risk of flooding this morning, as water rushed along the river a few feet below external balconies and entrances to properties.

Read more here.

Parts of Millhouses Park are still under water today as the River Sheaf continues to bring a torrent of water through Sheffield.

The children’s play area is still cordoned off after council officials urged people to avoid the area yesterday.

Parts of the scooter and skate park are submerged as water flows along pathways and across the playing fields into the river.

Yesterday afternoon saw a torrent of water rushing along the swollen river as it made its way into the city centre and the Sheaf is still at very high levels despite there being little rain on Monday morning.

Read more here.

A clean-up operation has been mounted around Meadowhall this morning after flooding yesterday.

The Sheffield shopping centre was not affected by flooding and is open as normal today, but some roads and paths near the River Don, which runs past Meadowhall, were under water yesterday.

Workmen have been cleaning up silt and debris from the areas affected by flooding yesterday.

Read more here.

These are the most serious incidents reported to South Yorkshire Police yesterday, as severe weather wreaked havoc across the county.

After a freak gust of wind in Doncaster yesterday afternoon, two properties in Thorne had their roofs ripped off and a third had its gable-end blown off, in what has been described as a ‘mini tornado.’

South Yorkshire Fire, which declared a major incident, said it affected around 100 houses in the area and around Medlar Court, Southend Road and Southfield Road.

Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

Read more here

Hurricane force winds of 85mph have been recorded at a weather station near Sheffield as stormy weather continues to batter the city.

A spokesperson for the Met Office said a ‘gust of 74 knots’ which is the equivalent of 85mph was recorded on Friday, February 18, at the Emley Moor station.

The weather station, which is between Huddersfield and Wakefield, is the closest one to Sheffield.

But the spokesperson cautioned: “Bear in mind that although these are fast enough to be ‘hurricane force’ winds, it doesn’t make Storm Eunice a hurricane, which is a specific kind of tropical storm.”

South Yorkshire has been hit by three named storms in the last week or so – Dudley, Eunice and Franklin.

Read more here.

Dramatic videos have shown the extent of flooding in a Derbyshire Dales town as Storm Franklin brings further chaos to the region.

This video of Matlock this morning, taken by Coworking Corner Matlock, was posted on Twitter.

The co-working space venture said: “Please stay safe out there today. Our hearts go out to all our friends and local businesses in Matlock struggling through this.”

Derbyshire Dales District Council also urged people to stay safe.

Watch the videos here.

A businessman has told how close his premises beside the River Sheaf in Sheffield came to being flooded.

Firma-Chrome Surface Engineering is located beside the River Sheaf on Saxon Road in Lowfield, Sheffield, where a flood warning was issued on Sunday night and remained in place this morning.

Its managing director Phil Marsden told how he lives in Chesterfield but had driven to the plant on Sunday evening after being alerted by a collegue about the flood warning.

He arrived at around 7pm to find water gushing past the back of the building just one foot below the floor level.

Read more here.

A dad-of-two has spoken of the terrifying moment his whole house shook after a freak tornado smashed through homes and gardens in Doncaster.

Matthew Daniels said the destructive gust which wrecked homes in Thorne yesterday afternoon sounded like ‘a jet engine starting up’ – and caused chaos as it tore through the area in a matter of seconds.

Mr Daniels, who was at home with his wife and two children when the tornado struck at around 3.30pm yesterday, said: “It was definitely a tornado, I’ve never heard a sound like that in my life.

“The sound was like a jet engine starting up – then you could hear all the debris outside smashing into the cars and pavement.”

Read more about his experience here.

Meadowhall bosses have confirmed that Meadowhall is open as normal from 10am today.

The shopping centre deployed its flood defences as a precaution yesterday when the River Don threatened to breach its banks yesterday.

There was some flooding and nearby roads were under water but the shopping centre was not affected.

Read more here.