FLOOD warnings remained in place on rivers across the region last night as residents starting counting the cost of a day of chaos and disruption.

Major transport routes were closed, vehicles were abandoned, hundreds of homes were flooded and people had to be evacuated as the emergency services were stretched to their limits.

Roads and railways ground to a halt, with the A1 and the East Coast Main Line among the routes affected by the heavy downpour. The A1 resembled a river in parts and a 40-mile stretch between Dishforth and Bradbury was closed for much of the day. Parts of the road were still under water and closed last night.

A section of the A167 was closed for much of the day and several other routes across the region were impassable.

No trains were running on the East Coast Main Line between York, Darlington and Newcastle for several hours.

Services were gradually getting back to normal last night.

Sixteen elderly residents of a council care home in North Yorkshire, the oldest aged 92, had to be carried to safety by firefighters after the home became swamped by water.

An investigation is under way as to what went wrong at the Oswin Grove care home in Gilling West, near Richmond , after flood defences installed there only seven years ago failed. The residents have been rehoused in Richmond, Easingwold and Bedale until the home can be reopened.

Police in Stockton declared a major incident because of extreme flooding in the Hartburn area of the town, which led to several homes being evacuated. A leisure centre remained open all night for affected residents.

Cleveland firefighters used water rafts and boats to get people to safety and about 100 homes were estimated to have been evacuated across the whole Teesside area.

A search for a man reported to have been washed away in a swollen river was called off after the discovery of a flotation ring.

Police believe the yellow ring was mistaken for a person wearing a high-visibility jacket.

A report of the man in the River Swale at Marne Barracks, Catterick Village, North Yorkshire, was made at about 11.25am.

A major search of the riverbank was launched involving police, firefighters and volunteers from Swaledale Mountain Rescue Team.

A search and rescue helicopter from RAF Boulmer, in Northumberland , was called to assist.

However, the search was called off shortly after 3pm following the discovery of the flotation ring.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said: “It is likely that this is the object that was seen in the river and, as a result, search teams have been stood down.”

The River Wear burst its banks in Durham City, which led to the closure of the riverside roads and several cars being stranded.

The manager of the city’s Radisson Blu Hotel, which was cut off by the flooding, donned his swimming trunks to rescue a motorist in a partially-submerged car.

Ninety people were evacuated from their homes in Morpeth, Northumberland, which was hit for the second time in four years. Areas of the town were evacuated as a precaution before the River Wansbeck burst its banks and some stranded residents were rescued using lifeboats.

The flooding caused many small villages to be cut off, including Hurworth and Croft, near Darlington, where roads were impassable. The A66 near Darlington was closed in both directions for some time.

But flood defences installed to protect homes and businesses around West Auckland and South Church appeared to have worked, despite river levels appearing to be higher than during previous incidents when homes were flooded.

Last night, there were reports that the River Gaunless had burst its banks in Bishop Auckland.