UK weather: Woman dies after being swept away by floodwater, as more than a month of rain hits
Dozens trapped in Sheffield shopping centre overnight as traffic grinds to a halt
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Your support makes all the difference.A woman has died after being swept away by flood water in Derbyshire as parts of England were overwhelmed with a month’s worth of rain over 24 hours.
Derbyshire Police said the woman's body was recovered on Friday.
A spokesperson said: "Emergency services were called to a stretch of the River Derwent in the early hours of this morning after a woman was reported as having been swept away by flood water."
Yorkshire and the Midlands were the worst affected areas, with six severe “danger to life” warnings in place following Thursday’s torrential downpour.
Fire crews were called in to help guide people to safety, while rail and road users were warned against travelling on certain routes.
Residents on Yarborough Terrace in Doncaster were having to be rescued from their homes by boats on Friday as waist-high water filled the street.
Parts of South Yorkshire remain most at-risk, with six severe warnings around the River Don predicting properties and roads face further flooding.
South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said they rescued more than 100 stranded people on Thursday night, with around 500 calls to its control room between 10pm and 4am.
Elsewhere, around 30 people sought refuge in the Meadowhall shopping centre in Sheffield due to gridlocked traffic outside, as the extreme weather conditions meant those turning up for the Christmas lights switch-on were left stranded.
Parts of Yorkshire and the Midlands experienced their wettest day in years and travel disruption is expected to follow Thursday’s downpour.
Sheffield was particularly badly hit during flooding in summer 2007, which saw millions of pounds spent on prevention schemes.
Yet it again saw dramatic scenes on Thursday, with a number of roads left impassable to traffic, cars stranded in floodwater and gridlock resulting on many routes.
There were more than 30 flood warnings in place for Nottinghamshire, though none were near Sutton-in-Ashfield where Boris Johnson visited on his campaign trail on Friday.
An additional 35 homes in Mansfield were evacuated as a precaution after a mudslide in the area, while residents in around 25 homes in Worksop were also ordered to flee due to the risk of flooding.
And in Lincolnshire, the River Witham had risen so much residents said they were able to see swans swimming up to the edge of their properties.
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The chief executive of Timpson, the shoe repairs and key cutting high street firm, has said its shops in Worksop in Nottinghamshire are under water following the heavy rain and will be closed until next week.
James Timpson tweeted: "I've spoken to the team to arrange shop fitters to get there ASAP."
Saskia Hazelwood, 17, from Doncaster, told the PA news agency she was among those stranded in Sheffield's Meadowhall shopping centre.
She said: "When we got to Meadowhall it was very hectic and we heard about the flooding and saw the river about to burst.
"Our trains were then cancelled so we went to get food, then spoke to the police and security and they told us it was unsafe to leave and there was no way of getting in or out.
"So we instantly started panicking and, when we found out there was no way of getting home, we went into Primark and all bought spare clothes and we bought food and drinks to keep us going throughout the night."
She added: "We were provided with free refreshments throughout the night and morning but it was certainly not enough.
"We had to basically camp out in the food area until they finally got a taxi to us at 7am.
"None of us had slept for over 24 hours. We were very tired, stressed and, of course, our families were panicking and kept keeping in touch.
"At the start we thought it would be fun, a nice sleepover, something to certainly remember, but after 14 hours of being stranded in Meadowhall we just couldn't wait to get home, get into our own beds, feel safe again, and catch up on sleep."
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