MOTORISTS and residents faced severe disruption as flash flooding brought chaos to the region.

About half the average rainfall expected for April fell in the worst-hit areas in 16 hours yesterday, but forecasters said the worst was now over.

Southern parts of County Durham appeared to be the hardest hit, with Durham County Council and the emergency services inundated, with reports of roads and homes being flooded.

Durham recorded 26.2mm of rainfall between midnight and 4pm yesterday. The average monthly amount for the city is 52mm.

Road closures across the county included the main road through Ramshaw village; part of the B688 West Auckland Bypass; Wades Road, in Littletown; Rennys Lane, Durham; A6072 West Auckland to Shildon.

The A67 County Bridge, at Barnard Castle; and the unclassified road between Pittington and Littletown were among the roads flooded, but passable.

The Environment Agency issued flood warnings for the River Tees in its section through County Durham and the River Gaunless, at West Auckland.

The River Wear yesterday afternoon burst its banks between Baths Bridge and Elvet Bridge, in Durham City, and flooded adjacent footpaths.

But while many motorists quickly evacuated their cars from riverside car parks, river levels held about 2ft below road level downstream at Walkergate.

Flooded pitches at nearby Durham City Rugby Club forced the cancellation of an attempt to break the world record for the most people playing a single game of rugby, which was scheduled for Sunday.

The county council’s neighbourhood services department delivered sandbags to homes across the Durham Dales and the Bishop Auckland area. Locomotion: The National Railway Museum at Shildon also requested help due to a risk of flooding.

Despite the problems, the rain brought some spectacular images, including one captured at High Force, Teesdale, by freelance photographer Gary Richardson, of High Coniscliffe.

A Met Office spokesman said there would be light rain showers to come, but not like the volumes seen yesterday.

He said: “There will still be a few showers around today, but they will start to die out, especially the farther north in the region you go.

“It should be reasonably dry and we might even see a few sunny spells, particularly near the coast.

“We have seen the worst of the weather now.”

Chief Inspector Stu Exley, from Durham Police, said: “Surface water creates hazardous conditions for motorists and they should take this into account and drive accordingly.

“They should slow down and allow sufficient braking distance between their vehicle and the one in front. Drivers may find themselves unexpectedly hitting areas where flooding has occurred and should drive with caution.