Chesterfield residents asked to leave homes as Storm Claudia hits

Residents in an area of Derbyshire were advised to leave their homes as river levels rose after hours of heavy rain.

There were concerns for the Tapton Terrace community, in Chesterfield, after water levels increased at the River Rother as Storm Claudia hit the county on Friday.

Derbyshire County Council said several roads were closed on Saturday, including Leathersley Lane in Scropton, and the A619 between Bakewell and Baslow.

There are several flood warnings in place across the county and more than a dozen flood alerts.

The Environment Agency (EA) has issued warnings for the River Rother at Renishaw, Beighton, North Chesterfield, Old Whittington, and Tapton.

Warnings are also in place at the River Derwent at Darley Abbey and Church Wilne, the River Amber in Ambergate, and the River Dove at Egginton and at Dovefields Crossing and Saltbrook Cottage.

The agency said there was also risk of flooding in Etwall, Hilton and Sutton on the Hill.

Toby Perkins, MP for Chesterfield, said some residents in Tapton Terrace were advised to leave their homes for a rest centre that was set up on Friday evening.

He said in a Facebook post: “Relieved to hear that river levels at Tapton Terrace have levelled off and now expected to slowly drop down.

“EA field staff have attended site this morning and confirmed there are no properties flooded.

“Some residents are still at the rest centre. We expect they will return to their homes this morning. Police are still present on site.”

Derbyshire County Council said residents were being supported and given safety advice and information.

Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service said it had not attended any flooded properties and was supporting other agencies overnight monitoring Tapton Terrace.

Derbyshire Dales District Council said some homes in Bakewell were affected by flooding and sandbags were handed out at locations including Matlock, Darley Bridge, Ambergate and Duffield.

Derbyshire County Council said the storm had caused a lot of surface water and localised flooding on the roads causing some to close on Saturday.

They included the A617 approach to Chesterfield at Hornsbridge, Tom Lane, in Duckmanton, the A5012 Via Gellia, and Works Road, in Barrow Hill.

The authority said there were many other roads that were affected by localised flooding and some may have been closed by police.

It advised motorists not drive through road closed signs and flood water, and urged drivers to “exercise extreme caution” when driving along roads with surface water.

This included motorists travelling on the A6 at Darley Dale, along the stretch near Haddon Hall between Bakewell and Rowsley, Beeley and at Ashford-in-the-Water.

The council added its crews were out clearing several fallen trees, which had blocked roads on Friday evening and could have caused some issues on Saturday.

Derby City Council said its teams have been working overnight to manage surface level water, however there was localised flooding on Acorn Way, Radbourne Lane, near the junction of Ashbourne Road and Markeaton Lane.

A football match between Belper Town and Shepshed Dynamo on Saturday was also postponed after flooding at the stadium.

Belper Town said the nearby river burst its banks, which caused flooding around the perimeter of the pitch.

The club apologised to fans and said a new date would be announced in due course.