Woman's body found in northern England after being 'swept away' by flood water

Sheffield officials said the city's new flood defenses held up against the worst flooding in years.

The new £21 million ($27 million) flood defense scheme protecting businesses in Sheffield’s Lower Don Valley opened last year along a stretch of the river.

“There was some ‘overtopping’ of the flood defences at the Lower Don Valley but they were not breached. Without these defences the impact would have been significantly worse," said Councillor Mark Jones.

The council added that the temperature is expected to drop below freezing overnight.

Sheffield City Council said Thursday was officially the third-wettest day ever for the South Yorkshire region and Sheffield’s wettest November day on record.

The council said the city experienced 64 mm (2.5 inches) of rainfall on Thursday.

The Environment Agency added that water levels were equivalent to those seen during the 2007 floods that struck across England and killed 13 people and destroyed hundreds of houses.

A video of an elderly woman driving her mobility scooter through severe flooding in Sheffield has gone viral on social media.

Stephanie Jubb, 25, told Britain's PA news agency that she captured the moment by chance while she was filming the flooded road. She added that she felt it illustrates the "northern spirit."

"The woman just started driving and we were like "she's not gonna do it, she's not gonna do it" and then she just carried on," Jubb told PA.

"She didn't even lift her legs up or anything."

According to Jubb the elderly woman drove back through the floodwaters on her scooter later on after a trip to the shops.

Residents are having to be evacuated from their homes in Doncaster by boat.

A woman told Britain's PA news agency of how she had to be carried from her home through flood waters on a man's back. While 24-year-old Lacey Hanrahan told PA how she and her baby had to be evacuated on a boat after water started entering her home.

"I just can't believe how deep the water has got," Hanrahan said. "It got to the point where I wasn't able to walk out, so I was taken out on the boat," she said.

"I live down the end where there's a dip in the road, so we were one of the first to be affected."

A flood gauge for the River Don, which is just northeast of Sheffield in northern England, shows its water levels rose over five meters in the past 24 hours.

According to the UK's environment agency, the river's water levels are expected to subside on Saturday.

Six severe "danger to life" flood warnings have been issued along the river.

"The woman was reported as having been swept away by flood water in Rowsley and the body of what is believed to be the same woman was found in Darley Dale and was recovered at 10.40am," a statement from the police said.

The statement added that formal identification "has yet to take place" but the family of the woman have been informed.

"Our thoughts are with them at this time," police said.

Residents in Doncaster were being rescued by boats on Friday morning, after their street became flooded by waist-high water, according to Britain's PA news agency.

Rescue teams also worked to lay sandbags around the area.

One resident, whose home began to fill with water at around 7 a.m., told PA that she's "never known it to be this bad."

Photos taken on Friday show the aftermath of a month's worth of rain in 24 hours.

The UK's Environment Agency has issued six severe "danger to life" flood warnings in the north of England after the River Don's water levels rose as a result of persistent heavy rainfall.

Samantha Ratcliffe-D'Arrigo told CNN she had been shopping at Meadowhall mall with her family since midday and realized at 5 p.m. that they wouldn't be able to leave.

"Six of us were stranded," Ratcliffe-D'Arrigo said.

She said her family bought pajamas from the fast fashion retailer, Primark, and "jumped into action" by buying chargers, food, coffee and tea to last them throughout the night.

Ratcliffe-D'Arrigo added that the family hunkered down in a coffee shop, where they used sofas and footstools to get comfortable.

"It’s an experience we’ll never forget. We’ll laugh about it for years to come," she said.

Ratcliffe-D'Arrigo, who lives in Las Vegas with her husband, says they had traveled to the UK for a family wedding.