Incredible footage this afternoon has shown the partial destruction of an old footbridge crossing the River Aire near Armley Mills.
Torrential rain has led to rising river levels on the River Aire and a flood alert has been issued for the Middle River Aire catchment, which includes Burley and Kirkstall. The alert warns residents and business owners that flooding is possible.
Andrew Tutin, co-owner and founder of the nearby The Climbing Lab at the Kirkstall Industrial Estate complex, has captured footage showing a pontoon used to carry out flood defence work crashing into the footbridge, which has not been used for many years.
The centre section of the bridge then crashes into the river and is carried off downstream. Watch the footage below:
Can’t quite believe I just saw this! Armley mills bridge demolished by pontoon @WLDispatch @BBCLookNorth @LeedsFloodHelp @LeedsNews pic.twitter.com/SjwmPXhmd6
— Andrew Tutin (@MrAJTutin) February 20, 2022
When asked whether new flood defences, which are currently being constructed, were holding strong. Mr Turtin said: “So far so good, but there is water building up down the road now.”
The incident was also captured from the other side or the river, off Canal Road (warning, footage contains swearing):
This is the #RiverAire at Kirkstall at 16.45ish pic.twitter.com/j5eEbXlQgE
— Kayti (@Kayti93) February 20, 2022
The beer garden at Kirkstall Bridge pub is also under water.
Wortley Beck also burst its banks near Matalan this afternoon, causing the A6110 Ring Road to close.
What’s a flood alert?
There are three different levels of flood warning when bad weather strikes, including a flood alert, a flood warning, and a severe flood warning.
The three levels each indicate varying severity, with a flood alert being the lowest.
If a flood alert is issued, this indicates that an area should prepare, including making defences, preparing a bag that includes medicines and insurance documents, and staying up to date with the latest flood alerts.
