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News

HRH visits the flood-hit villages of Toll Bar and Adwick-le-Street in South Yorkshire

3rd July 2007

The Prince of Wales met people affected by flooding, emergency services and support staff in Toll Bar and Adwick-le-Street, South Yorkshire today.

It was His Royal Highness’s second visit to the flood-hit region in a week.

After visiting Rotherham and Sheffield last week, The Prince wanted to visit more of the badly affected areas in South Yorkshire to show his support for people who had been affected, and emergency services who are undertaking the massive task of pumping away the water at a rate of 14million litres of water an hour.

Last week, The Prince toured affected houses in Catcliffe and told residents how he "felt deeply" about the "misery and horror" they suffered.

In Toll Bar today, The Prince climbed into a small boat to get a close-up look at the devastation flooding has brought to hundreds of households.

The boat, rowed by a firefighter and steadied by a host of his colleagues and contractors, slowly weaved along the flooded road for about 100 metres past the local primary school.

One firefighter looking on said it was all The Prince’s idea.

"He just said, 'There's a boat, let me get in and go down.' They had to keep it steady because they can go over and there's all sorts of obstructions under the water.

"He wanted to go all the way down to the shops, but there was too much stuff in there."

The Prince surveyed the eerily quiet village from dry land with local MP and Cabinet Office Minister Ed Miliband and Doncaster's elected mayor Martin Winter.

His Royal Highness also met some of the dozens of firefighters who have been assembled from 26 fire services across the UK for the massive pumping operation which is ongoing in Toll Bar.

Local postmaster John Jackson met The Prince at the water's edge and waded alongside the boat towards his flooded business.

Later Mr Jackson said: "We knew it was going to flood, but we thought it would be round our ankles.

"We never dreamed it would be four foot deep. It's going down, but very slowly.

"We'll get it all straight, though, eventually."

Later, while meeting other residents from Toll Bar, The Prince praised Mr Jackson and his family, and said they appeared to be the bedrock of the local community.

The Prince said: "They are an amazing couple at the post office.

"They said to me, 'We will get this place back again.'"

Later The Prince met some of the hundreds of Toll Bar residents who have not yet been able to return to their homes.

His Royal Highness was driven along the two mile route to Adwick Leisure Centre past a seemingly endless line of fire engines and huge pumps with thick yellow pipes stretched out along the side of the road.

At the centre, which is still a make-shift home for more than 60 people, The Prince was asked to wear protective shoes and disinfect his hands - a sign of the growing concern over the hygiene hazard posed by the floodwater.

Inside the main sports hall The Prince joked with the residents as he listened to their stories and told one group of women: "It's remarkable how they've organised all this."

After asking them if they had managed to get back their homes at all, The Prince said: "I was determined to get in a boat – they pulled me down the street."

As His Royal Highness listened to more stories about how the community had reacted to the crisis, he said: "It brings the best out of people."

He laughed as he was told the local school's camping trip to a local water park had gone ahead despite the building being closed but looked concerned when a group of residents told him how very few people were insured.

The Prince strolled around the huge hall which has become a small community over the past week.

A sleeping area has been cordoned off using cricket nets, and nurses and a host of other agencies are on hand to help the 63 people who are still staying there.

At the height of the flooding last week the centre was home to 142 people.

One woman said: "The staff here can’t do enough for us. Everyone has been so nice."

Click here to read about The Prince's visit to South Yorkshire last week.