Residents have reacted with fury after it was revealed officials opened the flood barrier in York, leading to hundreds of homes being evacuated when raging waters swamped the city.
Environment Agency officials said water seeped into the building housing the barrier, prompting fears of an electrical failure and they would not have been able to pump water out with barriers stuck in the ‘down’ position.
Families with babies, the elderly and infirm were rescued from the city in inflatables, some still in their pyjamas, many clinging to pets and valuables.
Thousands in York face more flood misery with the water level set to reach 5.4m on Monday – the limit for the defences.
York council said 500 homes and businesses had been hit by the flooding, with 3,500 properties under threat this week.
Erica Hammill, owner of Hotel 53, questioned the decision to raise the flood barriers in York.
She said: “Why on earth have they not maintained it? Why did they build it so it could get flooded when it is there to protect from flood?
“It seems a pretty simple, straight forward question - how can you open a barrier that is there to protect everybody?
“Who on earth designed it and why have they let this happen?”
Rachael Maskell, Labour MP for York Central said “a lot of questions” needed to be asked about the failure of the flood defence in the city.
Speaking on LBC Radio she said: “The River Foss should have had a barrier which prevents the flooding on the north east side of the city but that barrier had to be lifted because of the risk of electrical failure.
“As a result of that there was flooding where we would not expect to see water and that has been quite a shock to some of the residents in that part of the city.
“You have got to say, a flood barrier with electrics? You know that water will be involved and electricity and water do not mix.
“A lot of questions have got to be asked after the next few days. Today is all about making sure people are safe, looking after life, but there are several questions I know that I have got about about communication, co-ordination, as well as the issues around barriers, and defences and pumps.”
Emergency services were working around the clock to tackle unprecedented levels of flooding in the city, their spokesman added.
The River Ouse is at 5.1m above normal summer levels and is expected to peak around lunchtime today (Monday) at 5.3m above normal summer levels.
An inquiry is expected to be launched after the Environment Agency decided not to activate the River Foss flood barrier, which has protected York for almost 30 years.
The barrier, built in 1987, is designed to stop the city’s two rivers, the Ouse and the Foss, from converging.
Angry residents slammed the decision.
York resident Jonathan Lee, 25, a Telecoms engineer, said: “York floods a bit every year but never like this.
“If there is flooding then you would expect the flood defences to be down stopping it.
“The problem has obviously the huge amount of rain. However it shows that the flood defences were just not up to it.
“We just were not ready for the water and the flood defences haven’t worked - or been in force. This has put lives at risk.”
Several residents in a road near the River Foss in York are trapped in their homes.
One man who lives in Navigation Road said there were about a dozen people stuck in each of four blocks of flats where water is “chest depth”.
The 31-year-old, who did not wish to be named, said: “We are surrounded by water. It is really alarming.
“I ordered sandbags and I’m a bit shocked they still haven’t arrived 16 hours later.
“Now we are at tipping point, it is too late.”
The man, who lives on the third floor with his mother, reported there were elderly people trapped and said he hoped the army would be rescuing them soon.
He said: “We have been trapped. It’s not nice at all but we are trying to keep calm. We have got a few supplies to last a couple of days.
“I know they (emergency services) are overstretched. The whole of town is flooded, it is really extreme - I’ve never seen anything like this.
“Half of York is underwater.”
Accountancy firm PwC, said the combined cost of this months devastating torrents could rise to £1.5 billion.
“The economic damage to the UK could be significant,” said Mohammad Khan, general insurance leader at PwC.
“It could well be that the total economic losses could breach £1.5billion with an additional significant increase in insurer losses from our initial estimate.”
An investigation has been launched into the decision as experts warned the worst of the weather may be yet to come with torrential flood waters expected to reach new heights on Monday.
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