Sheffield weather: Endcliffe Park and Millhouses Park among those flooded or shut due to Storm Babet

The Porter Valley area and Endcliffe, Millhouses, and Forge Dam Parks are experiencing major flooding as a result of heavy overnight rainfall from Storm Babet.

Videos show fast-flowing running water moving through Endcliffe Park over both grass and paved areas in the direction of the Queen Victoria Monument, towards Ecclesall Road.

As one of the Porter Valley parks, it sits alongside the River Porter Brook, where water levels rose sharply last night as Storm Babet brought heavy rain.

Porter Brook was running at a height of 1.08m at 11.15am this morning, just short of its highest ever recorded level during the 2007 Sheffield floods, which was 1.15m.

Properties in the surrounding areas can flood at just 0.65m. Sandbags are being made available by Sheffield Council for properties at risk of flooding.

A flood alert, an amber level meaning “flooding is possible”, was put in place ahead of today (October 20) for the area surrounding the river.

Millhouses Park has been closed by the council until further notice as a result of flooding from the River Sheaf.

In June 2007, when there was widespread flooding in the city, teenager Ryan Parry and his friends walked home from King Ecgbert School in Dore and stopped off at Millhouses Park en-route, where he fell into the deep, fast-flowing water in the swollen River Sheaf.

A major search and rescue operation was mounted but 14-year-old Ryan’s body was later recovered by police divers around a quarter of a mile from where he disappeared.

People are urged to avoid areas which are flooding, as well as any low-lying footpaths and bridges near local watercourses. 

Further heavy rainfall is forecast throughout the weekend and river levels are expected to continue to rise.