DOZENS of areas throughout the Redcar and Cleveland area were hit by flooding.

At East Crescent, in Loftus, water rose to 5ft, while also affected were Rydal Avenue and the Lakes Estate, at Redcar, Stump Cross, Guisborough, and the Church Lane area of Grangetown.

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's Homecall service took a total of 849 calls from 5pm on Thursday until 1am yesterday from people asking for help with flooding problems.

Water levels in homes were reported to be up to 4ft deep, while the Met Office reported that a total of 50mm of rain fell on Thursday.

Residents in some homes in Loftus saw their houses flooded for the second time in a week and are expecting their misery to continue next week with forecasts of more bad weather still to come.

The force of flood water sent a 30m-high wall crashing into homes in the town, smashing front doors.

In Boosbeck, Lockwood Primary School was closed because of flooding. The school will remain closed on Monday, with Key Stage 2 children returning on Tuesday and children from Key Stage 1 on Wednesday. The nursery will remain closed all week.

Motorists ignored police no entry signs on Guisborough Road in Nunthorpe yesterday morning and ploughed through a flooded road, giving children on their way to Nunthorpe School a wet start to their day.

The A171 Guisborough to Whitby road between Nunthorpe and Guisborough was littered with abandoned cars as water came down from the hills and flooded the road.

At one house near Windlebridge Garden Nursery, the water swept through the building, churned up the Tarmac drive and pushed a brick wall over as it went on to flood the nearby main road.

Roads around Skelton and Brotton were also flooded but gradually reopened throughout the day yesterday. West Dyke Road and Kirkleatham Lane, Redcar, were also affected.

Rosecroft School at Loftus will be open for Years 9,10 and 11 on Monday, with the 285 pupils asked to bring a packed lunch. Years 7 and 8, involving 160 pupils, will be returning on Tuesday.

Residents of the east Cleveland village of Carlin How began their clean up operation yesterday - for the second time in three months.

Andrea Smith, 43, of Brotton Road, said roads were flooded by 8pm and, by 8.30pm, homes were under water.

Neighbour Janette Whitney, 43, declared Carlin How was "the forgotten village". She said her insurance company wouldn't insure her contents after she put a claim in following July's floods