Chesterfield: Son speaks of heartbreak after mum dies in flooding

Maureen Gilbert was found dead in her house in Tapton Terrace on Saturday

The son of a woman in her 80s who died when her home was flooded during Storm Babet has spoken of his heartbreak over finding her body.

Maureen Gilbert was found by her son Paul in the house in Tapton Terrace in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, on Saturday morning.

He said emergency services had tried to rescue Mrs Gilbert on Friday but were unable to enter the property.

Mr Gilbert found his mother in the water the following morning.

Despite the fact he had spent hours installing flood defences, he said his mother called him at about 13:15 BST on Friday to say "water was in the house".

Mr Gilbert tried contacting Maureen but the call went to voicemail

She soon stopped answering the phone and it then took Mr Gilbert six hours to get back to her home because of the flooding elsewhere.

Mr Gilbert said: "When we got here, the fire and rescue were here, police were here, water was well over two metres high.

"They broke the window to get in; tried to smash the door to get in - but they said it was a danger to life and couldn't get into the house.

"[The next morning] me and my son both came down. I prised the window open, looked in the window and saw something and realised it was my mum.

"Some people who were here on the street said it took no more than 30 seconds for the water to get to the house and get three feet high."

Paul Gilbert said his mother had lived on the street all her life and was born two doors down

Ambulance crews, the fire service and police officers arrived at Mrs Gilbert's house at about 10:30 BST after Mr Gilbert called them.

Mr Gilbert said he and other residents on the street had urged authorities to take action after heavy flooding there in 2007.

"Losing my mother," he said. "Nobody can tell you what you're feeling.

"Back in 2007, it was one of the worst streets to get flooded, we had well over three-and-a-half feet of water in the houses then.

"[We] tried to speak to people about the problem but nothing has been done. You feel like you've been let down. All the times you've asked for things to be done; we don't feel like anything got done for us."

'Investigations continuing'

Derbyshire Police said the the cause of death remain uncertain but investigations were continuing.

A statement from Derbyshire Police said an investigation into Mrs Gilbert's death was under way.

"Officers, along with colleagues from Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service and from East Midlands Ambulance Service, arrived at the property, which was flooded and found a woman, aged in her 80s, inside the flat.

"Investigations are continuing into the circumstances of the incident and the cause is unascertained at this time."

On Saturday, about 400 homes in Chesterfield were flooded and many people had "no idea where they're going to be living", said local MP Toby Perkins.

Several streets in Retford are under an evacuation order as flood waters rise

Meanwhile, over the border in Nottinghamshire, residents in up to 500 homes in Retford are at risk of being evacuated due to flooding caused by Storm Babet.

People were told they were at risk over high water levels along the River Idle as Nottinghamshire County Council declared a major incident on Saturday.

Two severe flood warnings, which means there is a danger to people's lives, were put in place in the area.

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