Paul Hudson
Weather presenter, BBC Look North

BBC weather presenter Paul Hudson says rain forecast to fall in South Yorkshire over the coming days will not be "anywhere near the same magnitude" as it was last week when more than a months worth of rain fell in 24 hours.

Image source, PA Media

Speaking to BBC Radio Sheffield he said: "I can't see there being further river flooding but what it is going to do is slow down the process of those rivers falling back down to normal levels.

"Where houses are still flooded it's going to prolong the time it's going to take to dry things out."

Boris Johnson is chairing a government emergency committee to discuss how flooding has been handled.

A Doncaster salon is offering free "pamper" sessions for children affected by flooding in a nearby village.

Image source, Hollie Winstanley

Reveal, in Stainforth, is offering the free package "to give something back" and Hollie Winstanley, from the salon, says people have already been in touch.

"I just think it's for the kids who are sat in their flooded houses doing nothing. I just want to give something back to the community," she said.

Donna Swift, from Fishlake, took her two young girls, Shayla and Leia, for a pamper session after they "lost everything" in the flods.

She said: "I think it's worse for the kids because possessions and toys mean a lot to them. Now they've got nothing and I feel sorry for them.

"I think it's amazing because they need normality for the kids. We're busy trying to sort things, and funds are tight, so it gives them something to do."

Swans affected by an oil spill caused by the severe floods in South Yorkshire are being cleaned and cared for at a wildlife centre in Nantwich, Cheshire.

Image source, RSPCA

The RSPCA facility at Stapeley Grange said it had so far helped 38 swans affected by the spill in the Sheffield and South Yorkshire canal, with a further 25 animals expected.

Image source, RSPCA

The birds had been at risk of hypothermia, it said.

Image source, RSPCA

The oil came from an upturned barge in Rotherham and leaked from cars trapped in flood water.

An emergency fundraising appeal has begun to help with the rescue and rehabilitation.

Hundreds of donations are being collected at a church in Fishlake, near Doncaster, to help families hit by flooding.

St Cuthbert's Church is collecting products, from toiletries to tinned food, as part of a community effort to help.

Warm clothes are also being collected.

Hundreds of people have been displaced from their homes following the flooding.

Dominic Casciani
Home Affairs Correspondent

The government has a legal definition of an "emergency" - it's an event that threatens "serious damage to human welfare", the environment, or is a major attack, such as war or a huge act of terrorism.

The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 forces public bodies to prepare for such worst-case scenarios. In the case of the current floods, the Environment Agency, local councils and others are expected to have planned properly and to swing into action.

If an emergency is somehow overwhelming, ministers can use the Act to take control and even override existing laws and rules.

One of the catalysts for the legislation was a national fuel shortage in 2000 as protesters blockaded refineries over petrol pump prices. Were that to happen today, a prime minister could in theory order the Army to commandeer fuel tankers and keep the nation moving.

The Cobra meeting is Whitehall's way of trying to efficiently bring together all the key people in an emergency to co-ordinate the government's response.

These are the latest photos reaching us of people working around the clock helping flood-hit residents in Fishlake, Doncaster.

More than 60 staff from other fire services across the country are currently helping to move people to safety:

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Police are appealing for people not to drive through road closed signs in flood-affected areas of Doncaster.

South Yorkshire Police says officers have been kept busy "rescuing motorists who ignore signs".

Doncaster East Neighbourhood Policing Team has also pleaded with drivers not to drive on closed roads.

Five severe "threat to life" flood warnings are still in place for the Doncaster area this afternoon.

They are at Bentley, Fishlake, Kirk Bramwith, South Bramwith and Willow Bridge Caravan Site.

The warnings remain along the River Don, with people continuing to be helped to safety from their flooded homes in places like Fishlake.

Fire crews from as far as Tyneside, Wales and Shropshire are now helping with the flood relief effort in South Yorkshire.

Image source, AFP/Getty Images

Hundreds of people remain out of their homes after flooding at Fishlake in Doncaster.

Five severe flood warnings, meaning there's danger to life, are still in place on the River Don, external, with more heavy rain expected today and on Thursday.

This afternoon the Prime Minister will chair a meeting of the government's emergency committee in response to the flooding.

Steve Gilliard, a farmer at Fishlake, has never seen flooding there on this scale.

He says: "One of our cattle sheds is 3ft-deep in water and we've silage bails which are feed for the winter under water. A lot of that will be lost."

Areas such as Fishlake and Bentley, near Doncaster, which have been affected by flooding remain in "an emergency situation", according to the council.

The council says its staff are "doing all we can to provide support and reassurance where it is safe to do so".

In a statement, it adds: "It’s also amazing to see our communities come together in such an incredible way to provide their own support for each other.":

With further heavy rain forecast over the next 48 hours, the Met Office is warning that some small communities could be "cut off for several days".

Up to 60mm of rain could fall on already flooded communities in the Doncaster area.

A yellow weather warning has been issued for South Yorkshire.

People affected by flooding in South Yorkshire and who have been told to evacuate their homes should do so, according to the fire service.

Image source, PA Media

More than 220 people have been rescued by South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue service since Thursday, it said.

But it says people who can evacuate should be doing just that.

"I think what we're finding is that we're having to access flooded sites through boat crews which is taking us away from other areas", Assistant Chief Fire Officer Steven Helps said.

"The council do have a rest centre in Stainforth set up, with all the provision and support.

"The message really is it's safer to be out of that risk area - it has been declared a flood zone and a high-risk site by the Environment Agency - we'd encourage everybody that can move out, to move out."

Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson has said the government should declare a national emergency in response to the flooding in South Yorkshire.

Image source, Danny Lawson/PA Media

Meeting volunteers at a community centre in Stainforth near Fishlake, she said it shouldn't be down to local people to lead the response to recent events.

She told BBC News: "It is wrong that it seems to be just down to the local communities, important though this work is, this is clearly a national emergency and the government should be declaring it as such."

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to due chair an emergency Cobra meeting later to discuss the response to recent flooding.

More than £80,000 has so far been raised to help the victims of flooding in South Yorkshire.

An emergency relief appeal was launched when the River Don overtopped last week, with heavy rain adding to the floodwater.

South Yorkshire's Community Foundation, in conjunction with BBC Radio Sheffield, has raised the money to help families and local people who have been displaced from their homes and had their properties damaged by the flood waters.

A total of £82,000 has so far been raised.

Residents of a heavily flooded village in South Yorkshire fear conditions could get worse as more rain is forecast.

Image source, Richard McCarthy/PA Media

Doncaster Council has previously called for people to evacuate the village of Fishlake, near Doncaster, saying it "can only offer dedicated support to people who are not in an area where there is a threat to life".

But farmers say they are unable to leave as they need to care for their livestock.

The Environment Agency has five severe warnings in place on the River Don in South Yorkshire, external, meaning a "significant risk to life".

There are also 17 flood warnings and nine flood alerts.

A yellow warning for rain remains in place over parts of Yorkshire for today and Thursday.

Debris left behind from the flooding in South Yorkshire is being collected by council workers today.

Doncaster Council said bin lorries are collecting waste littering streets in some communities, such as Bentley (pictured below):

The fire service continues to rescue people from their homes following severe flooding in Fishlake, Doncaster.

Image source, PA Media

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Steve Helps said pumps were also in action in Bentley, Fishlake and Kilnhurst in Rotherham.

He said: "We've still got boat crews up there which are continuing to evacuate people throughout the night and will do also throughout today.

"These are people that have decided to move from their properties over the last 24 hours so we're supporting those to move to the rest centre.

"We've got high-volume pumps and we're working with the Environment Agency and we're also looking at moving water away from the Fishlake site, back downstream into the River Don."

The rail line between Sheffield and Stockport has reopened following flooding.

The line at Edale flooded following heavy rain, suspending services.

It is now open again, but delays are expected:

A main railway line between Sheffield and Manchester has been closed because of heavy rain flooding the route.

The line has flooded at Edale, disrupting trains on the Hope Valley line.

Train operator Northern says services are unable to run "until further notice":