Floods and road closures cause widespread disruption across Teesside

East Cleveland was particularly badly hit with Loftus completely cut off for a while due to flooded roads, and the main street at nearby Carlin How underwater with several properties flooded.

The main road from Middlesbrough to Redcar was closed outside Steel House, and traffic to Redcar brought the A174 to a standstill at rush hour last night.

Police said they were also monitoring properties at Cowpen Bewley, near Billingham, and Aislaby village, near Yarm, which were believed to be at risk from rising floodwater.

The A689 was closed near Wynyard and some of the slip roads on to the A19 near Billingham, which caused lengthy tailbacks on the A177 road between Sedgefield and Stockton.

The A66 between Darlington and Stockton remained open most of the day as the Highways Agency pumped water off the road continuously near Long Newton but it was closed again by about 5pm last night. Green Lane in Yarm, outside Conyers School, was also closed for a while in the afternoon.

Firefighters were called to Durham Road, Stockton, shortly before 4pm to rescue a motorist left stranded in their car by rising floodwaters. 

Carlin How village, between Brotton and Loftus, East Cleveland, saw floodwater from overflowing drains seep into a garage and several homes as well as flooding the cellar at the Working Men’s Club and cutting power to some properties.

Club secretary Steve Waite said the cellar was under five feet of He said: “There has been a big impact all around but there’s been a good effort from everybody. People from all over the village have been helping each other. It’s been a real village effort.

Graham Cutler of Cuts Tyres and Exhausts in Carlin How said his garage was knee-deep in water.

WATERWORLD: A police officer walks through flood water on the A19, near Sunderland, which remained closed in both directions due to flooding yesterday

“This happened in 2000 and it is happening again. It is like reliving a nightmare,” he said.

Next door to the garage the home of a 95-year-old woman was believed to be underwater but she was understood to be safe last night.

Nearby Lee Kilvington was watching the water rise almost to his doorstop, with his 18-month-old daughter.

“I’m not too worried yet,” he said. “We’ve not moved our valuables upstairs yet but if it gets much higher we will do.”

Shirley Hutchinson, a lollipop lady at the local school, said there had only been a foot of water on the road at the most in the morning when she set out to work, but by the time she had finished this morning and returned she had to get a lift through back to her home.

Workmen were pumping the water out of the village and the road had reopened last night.