Doncaster flooding: Motorists told to avoid two areas after River Don burst its banks

South Yorkshire Police said Nursery Lane and Boat Lane in Sprotborough, Doncaster, are currently closed due the River Don bursting its banks.

Motorists are now being advised to plan their route accordingly and avoid the area if possible.

There are currently three flood alerts issued for Doncaster – meaning flooding is possible.

According to the Environment Agency, there is a risk of flooding at Lower River Don catchment as river levels rose as a result of heavy rainfall overnight and on Sunday morning.

Areas most at risk are low lying land and roads, with a possibility that Forstead Lane, near Barnby Dun, may flood.

Further persistent heavy rainfall is forecast throughout Sunday, particularly in Pennine areas, with river levels across the Lower River Don expected to peak from 2am, on Monday (February 21) onwards and remain high through Monday.

There is also a flood alert for Middle River Don catchment where river levels have risen as a result of persistent heavy rainfall overnight and this morning.

It said due to the saturated conditions and thawing of any lying snow, river levels are likely to be particularly high throughout today.

It added: “River levels are rising as a result of persistent (heavy) rainfall. Areas most at risk are low lying land and roads.

“Further rainfall is forecast throughout today, 20/02/2022 and as a result we expect river levels to begin to peak at Darton around 7pm tonight, 20/02/2022 and 9pm at Darfield, with levels remaining high overnight and into Monday, 21/02/2022.

“We are closely monitoring the situation. Our incident response staff are closely monitoring the forecast on a 24 hour basis.

"Please avoid using low lying footpaths near local watercourses and plan driving routes to avoid low lying roads near rivers, which may be flooded. This message will be updated by 18:50 on 20/02/2022, or as the situation changes.”

In Sheffield, 17 flood warnings have been issued, with five flood alerts in place, forcing bus services to be diverted and several major roads closed.