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Heavy downpours brought floods, chaos and collapse to Wakefield
The River Calder - Breaks it's banks in Horbury following heavy September rain. (W535D239)
HEAVY rain brought chaos to the city as homes flooded, roads were closed and roofs collapsed.
The downpour from Sunday evening until Tuesday also caused traffic chaos as trains were delayed or cancelled.
And among those feeling the full force of the bad weather were members of Newton Hill Cricket Club.
The wooden roof on their 1926 Leeds Road clubhouse collapsed under pressure from the water and leaks have ruined changing rooms.
It is a major setback for the club which is currently on a mission to raise £100,000 for a new clubhouse.
They now need to find extra cash to mend the current building as the new project will not be completed for a couple of years.
Club groundsman Gary Boardman, 46, of Newton Hill, said: “It needs vast repairs both outside and inside, which will probably cost thousands of pounds.
“We already had some leaks, but the volume of rain that fell this week was just too much.
“We thought we were moving forward, but this is a major step back.
“This is a building which we did not want to spend money on, but we are going to have to now.
“We still have a long way to go to raise money for our new clubhouse and this just adds to it.”
The worst of the rain fell on Monday, resulting in Denby Dale Road being closed at the junction with Thornes Road due to flooding under the railway bridge. Water also got into homes.
Retired engineer Peter Baker, 70, of Denby Dale Road said: “Every time it floods under the bridge, it floods the cellars of the properties nearby.
“There are drainage pumps, but they cannot cope with the amount of water, which is a mixture of rain and overflowed sewerage.
“I know it will cost more to improve the infrastructure, but it has got to be worth it in the long run.”
Wakefield Council’s highway team worked into the night to keep traffic moving and there was also flooding on Barnsley Road, close to the Harratts dealership, in Sandal.
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Weather for Wakefield
Friday 24 May 2013
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 4 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 28 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 6 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North
