Key Events
Youth group helps with Hebden Bridge clean-up
A group of volunteers from Kumon Y’all, a Muslim youth group based in Savile Town, Dewsbury, yesterday spent four hours cleaning up after the floods in Mirfield.
Today project leader Farooq Yunus led a team of 13 volunteers to Hebden Bridge where they cleared mud and stripped out soiled carpets, furniture and appliances from flood damaged homes.
The group aims to bring communities together and organised a vicars v imams cricket match in September.
Farooq said: “We want to show the world that whatever your background or religion we are all human beings and we should all work together and help each other. It’s about empowering young people.”
Community spirit alive and well in Mirfield
The Mirfield community pulled together to help those hit by this weekend’s floods — and also reached out to worse-hit areas.
Volunteers gave up their Bank Holiday to clear sodden stock from flooring and carpet stores, which the Mirfield Christmas Flooding 2015 Facebook group coordinated relief efforts. Castle Hall Academy opened its doors to receive donations of food, water and supplies.
Old Mill 'touch and go' for New Years Eve
The Old Mill, formerly the Corn Mill in Wakefield Road, Brighouse, closed on Boxing Day night after floods which led to 6ft of water pouring into its cellar.
Professional cleaners are working at the pub, next to the Premier Inn, but the stock in the cellar has been ruined and the boiler will have to be replaced, so there is no heating.
Manager Ian Brown says it’s ‘touch and go’ as to whether the pub will open for New Year’s Eve and will be able to serve the 180 diners already booked in. The Premier Inn next door is also closed and will be closed for up to two months.
David Cameron: 'Do we need to do more?'
Speaking at a sandbag depot in York:
“We are spending more in this parliament than the last one and in the last parliament we spent more than the one before that. I think with any of these events we have to look at what we are planning to spend and think: Do we need to do more?
“We are going to spend £2.3 billion on flood defences in this parliament but we will look at what’s happened here and see what needs to be done.
“We have to look at what’s happened in terms of the flooding, what flood defences have worked and the places where they haven’t worked well enough, and see if there’s more that we can do.” — Prime Minister David Cameron
What do you think?
A petition has been started calling for money to be taken from the overseas aid budget to help victims of flooding in the UK/
What do you think?
We need to 'rethink' flood defences
Environment Agency deputy chief executive David Rooke said a “complete rethink” of the UK’s flood preparations had to include making homes more resilient as well as seeking to hold back waters.
We will need to have that complete rethink and I think we will need to move from not just providing better defences - and we have a £2.3 billion programme to do that over the next six years - but looking at increasing resilience so that, when properties do flood, they’ve got solid floors, we have waterproof plaster, we’ve moved the electrics up the wall, people can get back into their homes, their businesses, very quickly and that we continue to improve our flood warning systems so that, in the event of defences overtopping, people have time to take action and we can save lives.” — Environment Agency chief executive David Rooke
Hebden Bridge clean up: Pictures
The clean-up has begun in Hebden Bridge - while York still battles floodwater. Latest pictures here:
Did you get caught in the fog last night?
...because I did! Visibility very poor on the M62 and Chain Bar roundabout was cloaked in mist. Would have looked atmospheric if I wasn’t forced to drive in it!
Matt Holmes shared this picture:
Bad news for train passengers
Rail services are expected to be disrupted by the floods until Tuesday evening
Flood map
Check flood alerts for Huddersfield, Holmfirth and Yorkshire in real-time and see if your local area is at risk from flooding with live information and flood warnings provided by the Environment Agency.
Severe flood warnings and more rain to come
Communites across Yorkshire devastated by the Boxing Day floods continue to pick up the pieces today — with more rain forecast for the middle of the week.
The Environment Agency still has 25 severe flood warnings in place — meaning there is still a danger to life.
Some 500 military troops have been mobilised to aid emergency services, with another 1,000 on standby should the situation worsen.
Here’s a round up of our floods coverage over the weekend:
Flooding in Mirfield
Flooding in Brighouse
Flooding in Slaithwaite
Have you been affected by the floods?
Let us know what the situation is like where you are — email SamanthaRobinson@trinitymirror.com or call 01484 437719.
You can also contact us via Facebook and Twitter (@Examiner).
