Boxing Day floods, Saltaire

There has been an unbelievable amount of rain since lunchtime on Christmas Day. River levels all over the north of England are surpassing their previous highest recorded levels. This is Roberts Park, Saltaire yesterday afternoon. The River Aire now reaches right across the cricket pitch and has flooded the Half Moon Café. (This is what it normally looks like.) I have never ever seen it anything like as bad as this.

The Boathouse Restaurant could now take in a boat again, just as in the old days!

The weir by the New Mill has disappeared apart from a wave. (It normally looks like this.)

The litter bins are submerged and in danger of being swept away. This is the path that goes under the footbridge.

Thankfully I got safely to my daughter's and back on Christmas Day so I had my Christmas dinner! (And delicious it was too, local farm turkey cooked to perfection in the Aga, well done my girl!)  It was a nasty drive back though, in driving rain and through lots of standing water on the roads. She lives above Hebden Bridge, which is now completely cut off by road and rail and the town centre is badly flooded. Thankfully, they had the field drains dug out above their house, so they have not (yet!) had a repeat of the flood in their home, though their neighbours were flooded again.

Later... 
The photos below were taken today (Sunday) at around 12 noon, about 24 hours later than those above. The water levels have dropped significantly, the rain has stopped and the sun came out so everything seems rather more cheerful - but there will be a lot of clearing up to do in communities all across the area.

My daughter tells me parts of the narrow lane to their house have been washed away down the hillside so they and their neighbours (about six houses) are marooned and cannot get vehicles out. They are currently involved in a community effort to patch it up so they can get out. But then, the road at the end of the lane has a landslide above and a massive flood at the bottom. Their town is still cut off, impassable by road or rail. Much clearing up yet to be done...  The water is causing huge problems as it moves further down the rivers too. The city centre of Leeds has been badly flooded and York is on high alert. Let us hope the rain stays away now to give us all a chance to regroup.