- August 7 2008
7:41am Thursday 7th August 2008
FLASH floods caused chaos for thousands of York commuters as the heavens opened during the evening rush hour.
Torrential rain, which started at about 4.30pm yesterday in York, submerged several roads in water within a matter of minutes.
Leeman Road was closed for nearly two hours after a car became stuck in water in the underpass near the railway station.
Piccadilly, Castle Mills and Tower Street were also closed and there were long queues in the Fishergate area after a manhole cover flipped up due to the sheer weight of flood water.
Around 300 people were evacuated from Next Generation gym, in Hull Road, due to flooding, and firefighters also pumped out water from the Rose and Crown pub, in Lawrence Street, and the Melbourne Hotel, in Cemetery Road.
Brad Anthony, assistant manager at the Rose and Crown pub, said the flooding had taken staff at the bar by surprise.
He said: “Our cellar completely flooded – it was about knee deep and it happened so quickly. The fire engine came out and pumped the water out for us, and it’s fine now – we haven’t lost any stock.”
A spokesperson for Next Generation said last night the situation was being assessed and a decision whether to reopen the club would be made today.
Meanwhile, residents across the city faced a battle to keep floodwaters out of their homes, with fire crews called to properties in Nunthorpe Road, Gray Street, Union Terrace, Portland Street, Shipton Street and Foxwood Lane.
The Hospital Radio premises in Bridge Lane, off Wigginton Road, was also flooded. A spokesman for North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service said: “It’s been all hands to the pump this evening in the York area – there have been about 20 to 30 different flooding incidents.”
City of York councillor Dave Taylor, who represents the Fishergate ward, was caught up in the traffic chaos as he cycled home to Fishergate at about 6pm.
He said: “The whole of the Fishergate gyratory was snarled up because a man- hole cover had blown up.
“The same thing happened about two years ago, but nothing’s been done about it.
“The drains are not good enough to take this kind of downpour, but these weather conditions are becoming increasingly normal and something needs to be done. It was monsoon-like – an absolutely torrential downpour and then sunshine afterwards.”
In other areas of York, traffic was reduced to a crawl around Fulford Main Street, near Fordlands Road, while Mount Vale and Knavesmire Road, in South Bank, were also affected.
Other flooding hotspots included Water End, in Clifton; Clifford Street, in the city centre; James Street, off Lawrence Street; Fourth Avenue in Tang Hall; and Acomb Road, York Road, Chaloner’s Road and Eason View, in Acomb.
Traffic was also slow on the York outer ring road at the Copmanthorpe junction, and on the A64, between the Copmanthorpe and Fulford junctions.
Elsewhere in North Yorkshire, incidents of flooding were only reported in Whitby and Filey.