The city of York was hit by extreme floods over the weekend as Storm Bram caused the River Ouse to reach three times its normal level, affecting tourism and local businesses.
This is the busiest time of year for York as tourists descend on the famous Yorkshire city from all over the world to see the festive lights and visit the award-winning annual Christmas market. This year however, the flooding has affected local independent businesses along the riverside, with some even being forced to close.
“There’s just not a lot we can do,” said Sophie Knight, a local small business owner. “We did know that flooding was a risk, all of these lovely businesses along the waterfront know that, but I always say, at times like these it’s so important to support your independents.”
Sophie’s two cafés are based in the city centre at Lendal Bridge and Skeldergate Bridge, with the latter the most affected as the main entrance is via a riverside terrace, which is currently underwater and unusable.
According to the Viking Recorder, a key Environment Agency river level monitoring station in York, the water levels peaked at 2.72m on Wednesday 16th December at 6:30pm.
The City of York Council advises residents to follow current flood warnings and check river levels, avoid entering or travelling through flood water due to hidden dangers, and stay updated via official channels. Support for those affected, including information on travel, sandbags, and reporting drainage issues, is available through the council’s website.