‘The worst I’ve ever seen’: Worksop residents react to flash flood which blew out canal wall and swamped cars

Worksop saw 93mm of rainfall in just three hours, between 5pm and 8pm yesterday (August 16). Many streets in the town were affected by the downpour, including Kilton Hill, Gateford Road, Sandy Lane, Turner Road, and Stanley Street.

This morning, Bassetlaw Hospital bosses are urging people to only attend the Emergency Department if the need is ‘urgent or life-threatening’, as staff fix damages caused by the water.

The flash flooding brought trains to a halt in Worksop railway station, and busses were cancelled.

Shoppers in Morrisons were left trudging in several inches of water as the rain made its way through the roof and doors.

Many cars were also pictured submerged in water on the roads and streets, with one almost completely under water after getting stuck beneath the railway bridge on Kilton Hill.

Thankfully the rainfall did not cause the River Ryton to burst its banks like the major incident in November 2019.

However, a rest centre was set up at Worksop Leisure Centre as it is reported around 50 households were evacuated by police as a precaution.

It is thought that several families have been affected by the flooding as it entered their house and damaged furniture.

The Canal & River Trust is currently assessing some structural damage caused at Chesterfield Canal in the town after part of the canal wall collapsed.

Writing on social media, one resident said it was like watching something out of a ‘disaster movie’ as he drove through Worksop.

“[It] was about a foot deep and all the manhole covers had lifted, and there were poor folk shovelling water back onto the road because it was going down their driveways like a river… all happened within an hour… mother nature at her worst.”

Another resident said: “Wow, worst I have seen in Worksop especially on Gatefold Road, and I’m in my 70s.”

Some residents have questioned how incidents like this continue to keep happening despite issues of flooding being a known problem in the community.

In August 2021, the Environment Agency revealed plans for a flood prevention scheme for the River Ryton. Work is expected to start in July 2024 and complete in March 2027, better protecting 250 properties in the Central Avenue area.