Yorkshire Retains Flood Warnings After Storm Bert’s Passage

Three flood warnings persist across Yorkshire following Storm Bert’s delivery of snow and substantial rainfall to the area. On Saturday, flood sirens were activated in parts of Calderdale, where river levels near Todmorden surpassed 2.4m (7.9ft), reaching a point 34cm (1ft) below the levels observed during the Boxing Day floods of 2015. The Member of Parliament for Calder Valley indicated that a “relatively small” number of residential and commercial properties had been inundated. The remaining warnings are situated in Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire; riverside areas in York; and in Horbury, West Yorkshire. Earlier on Sunday morning, a total of 13 flood warnings were active, with the majority located in Calderdale. The combination of melting snow and heavy rainfall throughout Saturday and Sunday resulted in localised disruption, including several road closures. Speaking on Sunday morning, Josh Fenton-Glynn, the Labour MP for Calder Valley, stated: “We’re still wary because it’s still raining, but it feels like we’ve escaped the worst of it. “But here in Hebden Bridge we’ve been waiting almost a decade for a proper flood scheme to get underway, in terms of the hard infrastructure. “Hopefully this will remind the Environment Agency of the need for that.” Andrew Entwistle, a flood warden, was involved in the clean-up operation. He commented: “In Hebden Bridge, the floods come very, very quickly,” adding, “It can look as if it’s doing very well and then suddenly we get a surge and it floods the town.” In North Yorkshire, police advised drivers to “consider whether you really need to make a journey” after three vehicles became stranded attempting to pass through deep standing water on the A65 near Settle on Saturday evening. The force urged motorists to avoid driving through floodwater. One flood warning remains in the county at Boroughbridge Camping and Caravanning Site, where the Environment Agency reported that levels of the River Ure reached 1.80m (5.6ft) on Sunday afternoon, slightly above the point at which flooding is possible. A further 19 flood alerts, which are less severe than flood warnings but still indicate the potential for flooding, are distributed across North, West, and South Yorkshire. Storm Bert initially brought a thick blanket of snow to the region on Saturday morning; however, as temperatures rose, this gave way to an intense period of wet weather. The Met Office’s amber weather warning for snow and rain, which had been active across Yorkshire on Saturday, has now concluded.