AN elderly couple who have become marooned in their home by rising floodwaters were last night battling to save their treasured possessions.

Brian and Violet Coatsworth, who are aged 82 and 80, are mounting a round-the-clock vigil as the River Swale threatens to inundate their isolated home near Thirsk, North Yorkshire, following five days in which more than 40mm of rain fell in the river's catchment.

With their garden and the road to the nearby villages of Dalton and Sessay under several feet of water, the retired pig farmers were set to take refuge on the upper floor of their cottage, fearing a repeat of flooding in 2013 in which surging waters engulfed their home.

Mr Coatsworth said while he had pumps at the ready he did not expect as frightening an experience as two years ago, which saw him clinging to a door frame and his wife swept off her feet.

He said: "The water has been rising by up to three inches an hour and when it goes at that pace it is covering a lot of ground.

"We are playing a waiting game. We don't have central heating, but at some point we will have to turn the electricity off, and as the water rises, the phone will stop working."

The couple, whose four decades at the cottage have seen photographers take pictures of it for chocolate box covers, said it had only flooded in recent years.

The Environment Agency and North Yorkshire County Council have investigated the cause of the flooding, which is believed to be related to the installation of floodgates in York.

When in operation, they cause water to back up the rivers Ouse and Swale.

Mrs Coatsworth said they understood the water would peak at 3am this morning (Tuesday, November 17) and while she expected the wall surrounding their property to hold back the water, on previous occasions it had entered their home through the floorboards.

Apart from receiving a visit from Environment Agency officers to warn them about rising water last week, they have received no offers of help, while attempts to insure the property have proved fruitless.

She said: "The authorities just say we are in the minority and that they cater for the majority."

"All they have given us is ten sandbags, but it's no good moaning and groaning as nothing gets done."

Mr Coatsworth, who suffers ill health after having his stomach and spleen removed, said he remained determined to move as much of his furniture and carpets to safety as possible.

He said: "We don't want to trouble anybody, we've always been so independent."