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Moment families in Primark pjs swig brandy and party while trapped for 14 HOURS in flood-hit shopping centre
THIS is the hilarious moment one family swigs brandy in their Primark pjs they bought after getting trapped in Sheffield's Meadowhall centre amid the flooding chaos.
The River Don burst its banks yesterday as torrential rain battered Sheffield, leaving roads closed and more than 100 flood warnings.
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One family of six didn't let the floods rain on their parade as they bought matching red and white-Christmas-themed pyjamas and enjoyed brandy and ginger drinks.
The footage shows Irene Ratcliffe, 84, walking around the balcony level of the shopping centre with a drink in hand as other family members relaxed at the Coffika coffee shop.
Her daughter Sam Ratcliffe-D’Arrigo told The Sun Online that last night was experience she “will never forget”.
The radio host, 53, was visiting her family from Las Vegas and a big shopping trip to Meadowhall with her family and became trapped when more than a month's worth of rain fell in a single day.
Sam, who lives in Las Vegas, went along with her mum Irene, sisters Siobhan Ratcliffe and Lea Fenn, and brother-in-law David Hoyland early in the afternoon.
When the family were told they couldn't leave the took the matter seriously, but still tried to have some fun.
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Sam said: “It’s an experience we’ll never forget. We’ll laugh about it for years to come.
“We knew it was serious but we weren’t scared.
“We basically jumped into action. We bought plugs, chargers, food, and had lots of tea and coffee. We had two sofas and two footstools.
“It was important for us to make our mum comfortable. We were prepared to stay the night. We’re a fun family and just made the most of it.
“We also bought our pyjamas from Primark and my mum got her brandy and ginger from Wetherspoons.
“We were having a laugh, taking photos and videos, and keeping up with the news on social media."
The family were eventually able to leave when police deemed it safe at 10pm.
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The centre was put on lockdown and about 30 customers trying to get a head start on their Christmas shopping had to stay inside for 14 hours.
Stranded shoppers shared images on social media of people who had to buy pjs and blankets to stay warm.
Other images showed people sleeping on benches and families dining the food hall.
Saskia Hazelwood, 17, from Doncaster, said she was trapped for 14 hours inside the shopping centre.
She bought pjs from Primark and stayed in the food hall until she was able to leave at 7am this morning.
She said: "When we got to Meadowhall it was very hectic and we heard about the flooding and saw the river about to burst.
"Our trains were then cancelled so we went to get food, then spoke to the police and security and they told us it was unsafe to leave and there was no way of getting in or out.
"So we instantly started panicking and, when we found out there was no way of getting home, we went into Primark and all bought spare clothes and we bought food and drinks to keep us going throughout the night.
"We were in M&S for a while on the sofas until they closed the store, and we were then moved to the Oasis food quarter. We were there until 7am."
Alisabeth 'Lissie' Collings, a make-up artist for one of the bands who were meant to play at the centre's Christmas Live, was trapped for seven hours.
The 24-year-old told The Sun Online she got to Meadowhall before the band Bang Bang Rome to set up ahead of the show.
Lissie said: "It was a very very scary experience, it was just very surreal.
"It was a really surreal feeling not knowing what to do and where to do and I'm here thinking 'I'm really going to have to sleep on this floor'.
"Everyone was stuck. They were abandoning cars and laying on benches.
"I had about £3,000 worth of make-up on me and it sounds dramatic when you don't know what is happening.
"The staff were amazing and it was funny seeing everyone walk around in onesies and pyjamas."
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Shopper Becky Laver went to Meadowhall with a pal for the Christmas Live event along with thousands of others.
The 16-year-old was looking forward to seeing musical acts Fleur East, Tom Zanetti and Ella Henderson as part of the line-up, with headliner DJ Jonas Blue.
But after waiting for two hours in the rain, Becky was then told it had been cancelled.
She was then left “disgusted” after being stuck in the shopping centre for seven hours dripping wet without being offered any warm clothes, quilts, hot drinks or food.
Becky said she approached security staff four times to ask to leave only to be told that it was too dangerous outside.
The college student, from Doncaster, said: “My friend and I were absolutely dripping wet through and we weren't allowed to leave as it was too dangerous which I understand.
“At the start, it was not that worrying but by 8pm, that’s when the water started rising. When I went outside to look, the water was rushing underneath the barriers which was scary.
“People were sitting down near plugs to charge their phones and people looked so upset.
“The experience was horrible. We were stuck in Meadowhall for seven hours and had to buy our own food and drinks to keep us warm.
“It is disgusting that nothing was given to people that were clearly freezing. Meadowhall could have done a lot more but didn’t.
“There were no updates given over the tannoy and the only way to keep informed was to go on social media.
“I have never felt as worried for other people around me. There were people with babies who could not go home.
“It was one of the worst situations I have been in. It’s not got to the point where I feel like I could not step foot in Meadowhall.”
She shared pictures of the rushing water getting higher and higher.
Disney Store worker Jodie Whelan, 23, stayed at the centre, ans said staff were giving out free drinks and trying to arrange taxis.
She told the: "I'm feeling very tired. A bit fed up but trying to make the best out of an awful situation. The atmosphere is very weird but communal.
"Some people got a bit rowdy and it was upsetting seeing some older people and people with babies or children, but thankfully we are all warm and safe."
Charlotte Lowther-Fuller, 18, from Grimsby, also told the BBC last night: "I am feeling quite tired, drained and cold from the whole situation and just want to get home as I have college to go to in the morning."
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Car completely stuck in heavy flooding in Sheffield
Roads remained closed this morning but M1 towards Sheffield reopened by the afternoon.
Northern said there will be no services between Sheffield and Gainsborough Central, and Sheffield and Lincoln Central.
The railway company also added they will not be able to provide a rail replacement and have advised passengers not to travel.
Cars are still trapped in water after yesterday's "biblical" floods.
Darren Butt, of emergency contractors Streets Ahead, said: "The situation is not far from biblical, it is very frustrating for the traveller but we are dealing with a big volume of water, it is very slow and frustrating."
Yesterday, one women refused to be deterred by the miserable weather as she made her way through the flood streets on her mobility scooter.
The woman was seen determined as she pushed through the water, even as it splashed around her knees in the Woodseats area of Sheffield.
A poor lad was forced to leave his bus on the way home from school on Thursday and wade through "freezing" water.
Daniel Harrison, 12, was told to leave school at 2pm because of the flooding and then his classmates were forced to walk after his bus couldn't go any further.
He said: "The water was up to my knees. I had to get home straight away because the water was absolutely freezing.
"The river had completely opened and all the water had flooded onto the road, it was terrible.
"You don't want to be in that water but there was no choice - you had to go through it to get home."
Sheffield City Council said 14 of its roads were closed due to flooding as of 7am, and urged drivers to take extra care.
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Police were also called to the Parkgate Shopping Park in Rotherham last night, amid reports shoppers were trapped inside due to flood waters.
South Yorkshire Police tweeted that they were working to move "a number of people" who were stranded in the complex to "a place of safety".
Some on social media posted videos of them wading in knee-deep water near Canklow Bridge in Rotherham.
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