M1 West Yorkshire closed after flood

Summary

M1 West Yorkshire closed after flood

Heavy rain has caused the closure of the M1 motorway near West Yorkshire. Police stated that as a result of three collisions, the motorway had to close. Firefighters pumped water from the flooded homes but several residents had to spend the night somewhere else. A traffic officer handeling the M1 said the conditions were “horrendous”. “I have not seen anything like this in 20 years.” The flooded M1 motorway reopened around 3:00 British Summer Time. Sgt. Duncan Street said: [..] the rain that was falling and the conditions at the time were very, very dangerous for the public.”

Own Opinion

I had to drive my car through heavy rain once, and it was pretty scary. My wiper blades were going as fast as possible and still, I couldn’t see very well. I think the police did the right thing by closing down the motorway for the public. Three collisions had already occurred and many more would have followed if not for the closure of the motorway. It were the worst conditions in 20 years according to a traffic handler, pointing out the severity of the heavy rain and the importance of closing down the motorway.

URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-18390818