Flood-hit park in York opens after major clean-up

Rowntree Park has been closed since mid-December due to flooding

A city park which was closed for several months due to flooding has reopened.

Rowntree Park, next to the River Ouse in York, has been underwater several times during the last four months.

Volunteers have spent weeks clearing silt and mud deposits left throughout the park after the floodwaters receded.

Abigail Gaines, from the Friends of Rowntree Park, said the park remained a bit of a "muddy mess" with "a lot still to do".

Volunteers will take part in four further clear-up sessions this week, the Friends of Rowntree Park said

Rowntree Park, on Terry Avenue, was given to the city by Joseph Rowntree in 1921 as a memorial to the members of the Cocoa Works' staff who died in World War I.

Ms Gaines, who manages the Friends of Rowntree Park charity, said she was "thrilled" the park, which is open 364 days of the year, had reopened after being closed since mid-December.

A spokesperson for the charity, which helps maintain and improve the park, said the three-month closure had been the "longest time we've known the park closed in recent years."

The "frequency and ferocity" of floods had caused "a vast amount of damage", they added.

Not having the "well-loved green space" had been "a loss to many people", the charity said

The charity said when the adjacent River Ouse reached 13 ft 1in (4m) it "crept into the park" and combined with the park's overflowing lakes.

Since December the river has hit high levels a number of times, with both the park's systems and council pumps overcome by the amount of extra water, they said.

The charity said more work was needed to repair flood damage in the park with some "wet, muddy, swamp areas, still blocked off ".

"We need some drier weather for the situation to improve. However, signs of spring are peaking out, and nature is fighting back," they added.

A spokesperson for the charity said: "We'd like to thank all the volunteers and council workers who have contributed to getting the park back open.

"There is still a lot to do and we welcome people to volunteer for upcoming sessions and help Rowntree Park bounce back."