Hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes in northern England on Tuesday as officials warned a dam could collapse following severe flooding that has killed three people. A 68-year-old man and a teenager died in Sheffield and another man, in his 20s, was killed in Hull as torrential rain brought chaos to much of England and Wales.
Police and local authority officials said they had moved about 250 people from their homes near Rotherham in South Yorkshire after cracks appeared in the Ulley Dam and the M1 was closed as a precaution.
Chief Superintendent Matthew Jukes, the police commander for Rotherham, told BBC radio: "There is just a steady flow of water at the moment." Structural engineers were working to shore up the dam and pump out water from a reservoir covering more than 30 acres, four miles south of the town.
"The water, if it escapes, will run into a valley area but would fairly rapidly spread out," Chief Executive of Rotherham Council Mike Cuff told BBC Radio. About 1,000 properties were flooded in and around Sheffield, Nottingham, Leeds, Rotherham, Leeds, Shropshire and elsewhere, Environment Secretary David Miliband told the House of Commons.
The Environment Agency has 25 severe flood warnings in place, with dozens of other rivers and canals on flood alert. Around 1,400 people were being looked after in emergency care centres and temporary accommodation after being evacuated from their flooded homes.
"The community spirit in all the affected areas ... has been outstanding," Miliband added. Motorists were advised not to travel unless they had to. Police said the situation was exceptional and council leaders said the unprecedented rainfall had caused millions of pounds of damage. Police in South Yorkshire said Ryan Parry, 14, had died after being swept away on Monday by the River Sheaf in Sheffield.
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