Communities warned of more flooding

Sep 26 2012

Communities are being warned of the possibility of more flooding after the most intense September storm for decades left 400 homes and businesses flooded and caused widespread chaos.

The A1 near Catterick and the A66 near Darlington remained closed on Wednesday due to flooding while train services were still subject to severe disruptions and delays throughout northern England and Wales as a result of flooding and landslips.

Concern is now focused on the River Ouse in Yorkshire and its tributaries, such as the Derwent, Swale and Ure, with the possibility of flooding in towns including Ripon, Borough Bridge and Tadcaster.

People living close to the River Ouse in the York and Selby areas were bracing themselves as water levels continued to rise and the Environment Agency issued a range of flood warnings for the area.

The agency said those stretches of river were particularly vulnerable as the huge amount of rain which had fallen over the Yorkshire Dales in the last two days worked its way through the system.

In Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, the bridge which carries the A659 over the River Wharfe was closed on Tuesday night as engineers made checks.

There were 75 flood warnings for potential river flooding in place on Wednesday morning, focused mainly on north west and north east England, and more than 100 less serious flood alerts.

But places such as Morpeth, Northumberland, which flooded on Tuesday after the River Wansbeck burst its banks, appear to have seen the worst of the conditions and water levels were now falling.

Many areas have had more than a month's rainfall in a few days, with Ravensworth in North Yorkshire seeing more than 5ins (131mm) fall since Sunday, compared with the average for September of less than 2ins (47mm).

The Met Office said the heavy and continuous rain of the past few days was dying out, but some areas could still experience localised, heavy downpours on Wednesday.