Further ‘danger to life’ warning in place on the River Don as flooding misery continues

The warning from the Environment Agency comes after the river was swollen by Thursday’s epic downpour which caused a month's rain to fall in 24 hours.

The alert applies to the Don at Fishlake, downstream of Doncaster.

“River levels have continued to rise as of a result of heavy rainfall," the agency said.

“The water levels are continuing to rise and there is a danger to life. Evacuations are taking place with the recommended evacuation route being Moss Askern. Thorpe Bank is closed. The evacuation centre is the Salvation Army at Lakeside, DN4 5JN.

“Residents with any concerns should contact the Doncaster Council Hotline on 01302 735688. Our incident response staff are closely monitoring the situation and our incident room is open. Multi-agency partners are responding to the situation.”

Further ‘danger to life’ warnings are in place on the Don at Barnby Dun; Bentley; Kirk Bramwith; Kirk Sandall; South Bramwith and Willow Bridge Caravan Site.

The river has hit its highest recorded level at just over 6.3 metres, higher than it was during the floods of 2007.

In Derbyshire, also hit by the floods, a woman has been killed when she was swept away by the River Derwent in Matlock. In South Yorkshire railway lines and roads have been submerged, homes have been evacuated, schools were shut and shoppers were stranded in Meadowhall as the relentless rain came down.