Welcome to the South Yorkshire flood recovery Information Page.
We have created this page to provide easy access to information about our work in response to the flooding in South Yorkshire in November 2019. We will update this page as we progress individual projects as part of our recovery and repair work programme, so please keep checking regularly for new information.
The South Yorkshire floods in November 2019
The flooding in South Yorkshire in November 2019 followed two months where rainfall was more than twice the monthly average. Persistent heavy rain on 7th and 8th November caused river levels to rise rapidly. In just 48 hours 150% of the average November monthly rainfall fell over the middle reaches of the River Don resulting in widespread impacts across South Yorkshire. Overall, river levels equaled or exceeded the previous record event of June 2007.
The November flooding followed a period of sustained rainfall in late September and throughout October, which elevated river levels and reduced available water storage in the catchment. The last ten days of September saw a succession of storm fronts with prolonged periods of rainfall and, as a result, the Don catchment received more than double the monthly Long Term Average (LTA) rainfall. During October a series of weather depressions that crossed the country led to sustained rainfall over South and West Yorkshire for the first two to three weeks, culminating in over 24 hours of near constant rainfall on 25th to 26th October. This significant rainfall accumulation affected the Don catchment in particular, which received 64% of the monthly LTA rainfall over just those two days.
As a result many river flows were already high for the time of year, soils were saturated, and reservoirs in the catchment above Sheffield were full.
During November, Yorkshire saw record levels of rainfall with a number of river catchments receiving far more than their average rainfall for the month. The highest was South Yorkshire which had its wettest November on record with more than two and a half times (257%) of average rainfall (185 mm).
The south westerly flow of a largely static frontal weather system on 7th November caused prolonged and substantial rainfall, which started during the early hours. Over 48 hours on 7th and 8th November around 150% of the average November total rainfall fell over the middle section of the Don and around Rotherham.
7th November 2019: Widespread average rainfall of between 70-85mm fell in 24 hours across areas of Derbyshire and South Yorkshire. As a result, water levels on the Rivers Don, Rother, Dearne and associated tributaries rose rapidly as rain ran off already saturated ground in the catchment areas. River levels along the Don in Sheffield and Rotherham peaked during the night and then started to fall. However the risk of flooding then increased in Doncaster and surrounding areas as the flood peak moved downstream.
8th November: The river level in Doncaster peaked at 6.308m stage and then remained high for several days, which saw devastating impacts on our communities across South Yorkshire.
9th November: By midday the Environment Agency had issued seven severe flood warnings, covering Kirk Bramwith, South Bramwith, Barmby Dun, Bentley, Kirk Sandall, Willow Bridge caravan site and Fishlake.
As a result of the heavy rainfall, river levels peaked at record or near record levels across the catchments of the Rivers Rother, Dearne and Don.
Between 7th and 14th November (the day when the River Don dropped back to a more normal level) around 100 million cubic metres of water passed through our river monitoring stations in South Yorkshire. This is equivalent to a six metre depth of water over an area the size of Lake Windermere.
Flooding around Fishlake
This extreme rainfall led to one of the largest flood events in the last 50 years of records in the Don catchment, and had a devastating impact on communities along the River Don. Around 1600 properties were affected by the flooding, with the majority in Doncaster (in Bentley and Fishlake). 1200 homes were evacuated and the flooding affected key road and rail infrastructure.
Despite the event being similar in scale to the flooding in 2007, the damage was less widespread and 7000 properties were protected by flood defences.
Government investment in South Yorkshire of over £59m since 2007 will provide better protection for over 9500 properties.
Key investments include:
What happened and impacts of the November 2019 floods
What have we done in response to the flooding?
Since the November 2019 flooding the Environment Agency (EA) has inspected over 3000 flood defences along the the Rivers Don, Rother and Dearne. The EA and local authority partners have been repairing damaged assets and improving flood defences to better protect communities this winter. The EA Recovery programme in South Yorkshire comprises around 100 projects worth £12m.
The work we have achieved since the floods
Assets and Recovery
Since November 2019 the EA has worked on a £12m programme of improvements to flood defences and urgent repairs to better protect communities and businesses across South Yorkshire.
We have also put measures in place to make our flood defence assets ‘winter ready’ with either:
These projects will improve the condition and performance of critical flood defence assets for communities including Fishlake and Bentley in Doncaster.
You can watch a time-lapse video of our repair work to a flood defence embankment which was recently completed at Mile Thorn in Doncaster.
Progress on major improvements to flood defences
Despite the restrictions imposed by Covid-19, progress has been maintained on construction of vital flood defence projects across South Yorkshire. The £14m scheme to refurbish Bentley Ings Pumping Station will be completed later this year and a £3m project to replace the Sheaf screen in Sheffield is underway and expected to be complete by March 2021. These will better protect 1700 homes and 700 businesses.
Community engagement
Multi-agency community drop-ins were held immediately after the floods in Rotherham and Doncaster for residents to share their experiences, ask questions and seek advice.
Despite COVID-19 restrictions, information sharing and consultation has continued with elected members, Flood Wardens and communities via newsletters and virtual meetings. Data has been shared and explained to help communities understand what happened during the floods.
Investigations
Section 19 flood investigation reports into the flooding are being published by Doncaster, Sheffield and Rotherham Councils. Barnsley Council are currently finalising their report.
You can find links to the published Section 19 flood investigation reports at the bottom of this webpage.
What happens next?
Over the coming months, you will see our staff and contractors working to carry out investigations, and making essential repairs which will enable us to remove temporary defences.
Our staff and contractors will be following advice provided by Public Health England. Our work will be carried out while maintaining social distancing.
Our key priorities are to protect the health, safety and well-being of our own staff, the public and the businesses and partners we work with. If social distancing cannot be maintained, and work cannot be done safely, it will stop.
We therefore ask that you do not approach our staff or contractors, and direct any queries to your local Partnership and Strategic Overview Team on: SYPSO@environment-agency.gov.uk
We will be publishing details on our progress with the repairs, and flood protection schemes in South Yorkshire, as they become available. Please check back regularly for updates on projects and work programmes in the different areas:
As well as better protecting the village and to reduce the likelihood of any floodwater reaching properties this winter, we also have plans in place should we have a repeat winter of record rainfall. What we have put in place is as follows:
Closure of footpaths and limited 'Public Rights of Way' access
To allow us to carry out essential repair and maintenance work in and around Fishlake, it will be necessary for us to close some footpaths and limit access to ‘Public Rights of Way’ (PRoW). Where we have had to close PRoW there will be alternative diversion routes in place. The map below shows locations and dates PRoW will be closed to the public to allow us to work in those areas. The diversion routes will be well signposted.
Telemetry – flood monitoring at Fishlake
Flood telemetry systems are designed to remotely monitor sources of flood risk and provide information when water levels change, such as a warning when water levels begin to rise above a certain point.
In response to the community’s request and the Environment Agency’s ambition to support Fishlake, we have been investigating the proposal of new temporary telemetry in the Fishlake washlands.
The community have asked for a telemetry site in Woodhouse Ings washland adjacent to the barrier bank to help them prepare more proactively for any future flood events.
The temporary telemetry will help us better understand the washland level in relation to the river level. This information will help us to know when we can drain the washlands naturally by gravity or when we need to bring in temporary pumping.
Telemetry specialists have agreed on the best location for the telemetry in the washlands to better understand the water levels over the winter and to ensure our readiness to take action if necessary.
The telemetry would be installed for a period of up to 12 months. It is, however, important to note that a temporary site is not guaranteed to be automatically ‘upgraded’ to a permanent site.
On Monday 2nd November, technical representatives from the EA met with representatives of the Parish Council, Flood Action Group and Flood Wardens to explore the feasibility of a site installation at the location that has been suggested. This visit has confirmed that the site is suitable and we have installed the temporary telemetry system on 3rd December.
Temporary telemetry system near Fishlake, Doncaster
Following the November floods, the Environment Agency’s Asset Performance Team have identified repair work required on some of our assets in Rotherham. These include flood embankment repairs as a result of damage caused by flood water at Meadowgate, Canklow, Killamarsh and Catcliffe.
General repairs are needed to maintain the infrastructure and equipment at Meadowgate. Further minor repairs to the reservoir outfall at Killamarsh and the flood defences at Catcliffe are also programmed. All the required repair work is planned to be completed by 31st of March 2021.
We will be publishing details on the progress of each project within the Rotherham work programme here. Please check back regularly for updates.
Back in 2009 we undertook some essential maintenance work to reduce future flood risk at Malinbridge in Hillsborough. This work included the clearance of potential blockages within the riverbed, including the removal of vegetation and some trees.
Following feedback from the local community and local interest groups, we have successfully done further work to improve the area. Our aim is to minimise flood risk to local residents and businesses, while maintaining an attractive environment and habitat for local wildlife.
You can see the changes to the river habitat in the photos below - from when we started our flood risk management work in 2009 to what the area looks like in 2020.
Area around Malinbridge, Hillsborough following work in 2009
Malinbridge, Hillsborough following work in 2020
What you can do to manage flood risk and where to find information
While it is impossible to completely flood-proof a property, there are a lot of things you can do to prepare and reduce the damage flooding can cause. Here are some useful resources to help prepare yourself, your family and home - before, during and after a flood incident.
Before a flood:
By registering to the Flood Warning Service you will receive an advanced warning of potential flooding in your area. This gives you time to stay safe, take action and prepare yourself and your property for flooding. Even if your property isn’t at direct risk, your access or your workplace might be.
During a flood:
After a flood:
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