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A Chesterfield man has published a book chronicling the day Storm Babet hit the town – which he captured in striking photos while making his way home from work.

Hobby photographer Joe Curtis, 28, captured stunning scenes around the town during a five-hour trek navigating floodwaters trying to get to his Hady Hill home from work on inundated Chatsworth Road in October 20, 2023.

During the journey he encountered “apocalyptic” scenes as rivers burst their banks – leaving shops, homes and businesses inundated with water as others tried to make their way home.

On October 20 engineer Joe was at work at consumer packing company Sonoco on Goytside Road when at 10am managers at the firm decided to send everyone home. Joe set off on foot with two other colleagues in the direction of his flat in Hady Hill.

placeholder image — Bottom Of Hady Hill. Image: Joe Curtis

However much of Chesterfield was now underwater – forcing the trio on a day-long excursion of dead-ends and diversions, including one over Tapton Golf Course where floodwater was only around a foot high.

Speaking about the journey, Joe said: “While I was wandering around I was just taking pictures and it was such a bizarre experience, I’ve never seen anything like it. It was literally apocalyptic and I just thought, I’ve got to capture this.

"We had to cross Chatsworth Road – it was kind of splitting Chesterfield north and south and we were trying to cross over to the other side. The weirdest thing was all of the streets where I commute everyday.

"Like Ravenside Retail Park was completely underwater and it was weird seeing these really familiar places in a totally different way and the weird behaviours of people.

"I saw people driving the wrong way down the A61 – trying to get through ridiculously high levels of water and then getting stuck. The golf course became this major walkway with people wandering up and down it.

"The whole time it was just chucking it down so everyone was just drenched and the sheer desperation of people just wanting to get home was really starting to be visible in people’s faces.”

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When he finally arrived home Joe found his rented flat – The Foundry on Camclough Walk – submerged in five feet of water.

The Foundry flats where Joe lived. Image: Joe Curtis

"I lost my TV, loads of books, every tech item I owned pretty much got taken out including laptop, iPad, cameras and lenses,” said Joe. “Annoyingly it was building up to wash day so all my clothes were in a hamper, anything in dressers and drawers, suitcases, were all ruined.

"It’s stuff you don’t think about like electric toothbrush, razors and aftershaves but when you start adding it up for insurance claims, the amount of money you have in your bathroom is crazy.”

Altogether Joe lost around £15,000 of possessions to the flood and spent the next 10 days in a hotel until he was able to find a new place to rent, settling on Holymoorside.

He added: “One of my criteria was, how high are these places? It’s a ground floor flat but it’s up a big hill about 50 metres above sea level.”

Interior of Joe's flat in the aftermath. Image: Joe Curtis

In the aftermath of the floods while reviewing his photographic account Joe decided to share his experiences with others by publishing them in a book which tells the story of that day.

Through Water & Ruin: Surviving the Commute & Aftermath of Storm Babet is available to buy at Amazon, Blackwells and Waterstones.