Meadowhall to open as usual despite major flooding last night

Some shoppers were forced to spend the night in the centre after rising water levels in the nearby River Don flooded the area and left them stranded.

The heavy rain caused travel chaos across the city with cancellations on the trains, numerous road closures and various flood warnings in place.

Despite this Meadowhall said the centre is ‘dry and secure’ this morning and will be open to shoppers.

A Meadowhall spokesperson, said: “Whilst the extreme weather conditions persist in some parts of the region, the centre remains dry and secure. It is therefore our intention to open at our normal time of 10.00am today. The safety and security of our customers, staff and retail teams remains of paramount importance.

“We will therefore continue to monitor the situation in the surrounding area, liaising with the relevant local authorities to provide continuous updates.

“We anticipate that nearly 80,000 people visited Meadowhall yesterday and less than 30 customers remained in our building throughout the night. They were supported by night staff, security and members of the Meadowhall management team who where possible helped them to either secure hotel accommodation nearby or arrange taxis home.

“For those who were unable to get to their home safely or preferred to stay with us due to adverse weather conditions where they live, we looked after them by providing an array of blankets, coats and towels as well as a continuous supply of refreshments.

“Our dedicated customer care line 0114 235 4540 remains in place for any queries. For further updates on the impact of this extreme weather we encourage people to continue to monitor the twitter feed for South Yorkshire Police.”

Meadowhall Road remains closed this morning due to floodwater.

No trams or buses will be running from Meadowhall Interchange, which is also closed, and limited trains will be serving the railway station.