Rotherham firefighters helping Berkshire flood victims

A team of six firefighters have taken a fire engine to the county, following an urgent call for assistance from Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue.

Initially, the team from Rotherham and Central stations, will be based at the village of Cookham Dean on the banks of the river Thames.

The village is on high alert for flooding, with a red alert — the Environment Agency's highest threat level — expected to last in the area for several days.

Firefighters will initially be assisting residents with flood defences, such as the distribution of sandbags, and helping to pump out flooded properties were possible.

Area manager Mick Mason said: “An urgent request was received asking for assistance in the flooded area.

“We replied immediately, and a crew was deployed on Thursday morning, with further crews available to go at a moment’s notice if needed.

“The crew will remain there for an initial two days, but looking at the weather forecasts, we expect this to be longer.”

These latest crews from South Yorkshire follow the six firefighters and High Volume Pump (HVP) from SYFR who went down to Taunton in Somerset last weekend to help with pumping out flood water