2007 United Kingdom floods
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (June 2007) |
Widespread flooding occurred in many parts of the United Kingdom in June 2007. There were several different flood events that month, with the most severe flooding across Northern Ireland on June 12, 2007, North Yorkshire and The Midlands on June 15, 2007 and across South Yorkshire, East Yorkshire, The Midlands, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire on June 25, 2007.
The month of June was one of the wettest on record in Britain, and some areas received a month's worth of precipation in just 24 hours.[1]
June 12 Floods
Flloding occured across Northern Ireland with Belfast being particularly affected. Connswater shopping centre had to close after water poured through ceiling vents. Numerous schools and places of work had to close, and 80 residents of an old peoples home in East Belfast had to be evacuated.
Water ingress into the Parliament buildings at Stormont, caused the buildings' fire alarm system to be activated by accident.
June 15 Floods
A slow moving frontal system affected Northern England on June 14th and 15th, 2007 with the peak rainfall on Friday 15th June. Numerous rainfall records were broken across the region including the Met Office at RAF Leeming which recorded 69.6mm in a 24 hour period.
Flooding occurred across many towns and villages with Knaresborough, Harrogate and York being particularly affected.
A 17 year old soldier from Catterick Garrison died while on a training exercise after being swept away while crossing Risedale Beck, Hipswell Moor near Catterick, North Yorkshire.[2]
June 22 Floods
Thunderstorms in the Glasgow area caused flash flooding on the evening of June 22nd with the flooding causing particular disruption to the rail network as debris was dumped on the main line between Glasgow and Edinburgh near to Queen Street station. [3]
June 23 Floods
A slow moving line of thunderstorms developed across the eastern side of England on the morning of June 23. The intense and slow moving nature of the storms led to flash flooding in a number of places including Darlington and Middlesbrough[4],
June 25 Floods
Heavy rainfall on June 24th and 25th, 2007 added to the already high river levels and caused widespread flooding occurred across many parts of England and Wales. South and East Yorkshire, The Midlands, Gloucestershire and Worecstershire were the most affected areas though many other parts of England and Wales were also affected. In addition gales along the east coast caused storm damage.
At least three people were killed by the flooding in the region, including a teenager who was swept away by the swollen River Sheaf.
Thousands had to leave their homes following the flooding and the road and rail networks were severely disrupted.
Humberside
A 28 year old man after getting his foot trapped in a drain when trying to clear debris. Fire crew recieved over 1500 calls in a 12 hour period.
Sheffield
A 13 year old teenager was swept away by the swollen River Sheaf and a 68 year old man died after his vehicle became trapped by floodwater.
The city suffered extensive damage as the River Don burst its banks causing widespread flooding in the Don Valley area of the city. The Meadowhall shopping centre was closed due to flooding and Sheffield Wednesday's ground Hillsborough was under two feet of water.
A number of people had to be rescued by helicopter from buildings in the Brightside area.
In Dore to the southwest of Sheffield the River Sheaf broke its banks causing widespread damage and panic.
South Yorkshire
Villagers near the Ulley Reservoir near Rotherham were evacuated after cracks appeared in the reservoir. The nearby M1 Motorway was closed as a precaution.
References
- ^ "BBC news story relating to the heavy rains", Accessed 25th June 2007
- ^ Soldier found dead after floods BBC News, recovered June 26, 2007
- ^ Glasgow flooding causes severe disruption BBC News, recovered June 26, 2007
- ^ Flooding Chaos as storms hit regionNorthern Echo, recovered June 26, 2007