Wild weather leads to flood warnings and road closures

The Environment Agency issued flood warnings for Middlesbrough Becks shortly before 8.30pm taking in homes near Ormesby Beck, Spencer Beck, Middle Beck, Newham Beck and Marton West Beck.

Flood waters in Great Ayton on Monday night. Photo: Debbie Calgie

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A further warning was issued for homes in lower lying areas of Ormesby near Middle and Spencer Becks, including High Street, and South Bank Road at Cargo Fleet.

At 9.18pm a warning was issued for the River Leven at Great Ayton - affecting homes at Levenside, High Street, Park Square, School Lane, Leven Court, and Little Ayton.

Cod Beck in Kirby Sigston was close to bursting its banks this morning

Fire crews were in Great Ayton pumping water out of shops and homes after the River Leven broke its banks.

This was followed by a flood warning at 9.26pm for the River Leven at Hutton Rudby affecting properties in the Holmes, Leven Valley, and Levenside

Earlier at 6.40pm a flood warning was posted along the River Esk between Sleights Bridge and Whitby.

The number of flood alerts also rose - including the Lower River Wear from Escomb, near Bishop Auckland, to Chester-le-Street; the River Gaunless, low lying areas around the River Skerne and the Lower River Tees between Middleton St George and the Tees Barrage and the River Wiske.

Meanwhile, police forces and fire services across the region were advising motorists only to travel if absolutely necessary.

The Met Office issued Severe Weather Alerts for rain in the North-East. These will continue into Tuesday morning.

Highways England and its contractors are working around the clock to remove water and clear drains, and help keep traffic moving.

As well as surface water, drivers were also warned to watch out for high winds and possible downed trees and branches.

Redcar RNLI reported gusts of 59mph on the coast while police said there was lots of standing water and flooding of roads in area.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service reported that they attended 22 incidents involving flooded properties in Craven, Harrogate, Hambleton and the east of the county.

The waterfall in full flow at Great Ayton on Tuesday morning. Photo: Matt Westcott

They also went to five incidents of cars stuck in floodwater - rescuing eight people.

The Tyne and Wear brigade also dealt with a number of storm-related call outs, including tackling a property in dangerous condition in Whitley Bay and an unsafe tree in South Gosforth.

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service said it had also attended "numerous" flooding related incidents.

A fallen tree blocked the Richmond to Brompton road near Easby Abbey while there were reports of numerous surface flooding affecting roads in Swaledale and Wensleydale.

The A173 through Newton Under Roseberry was flooded and was closed together with Whitby Road, Guisborough.

There was flooding reported in Sedgefield as well as along the Sedgefield to Trimdon Grange road.

The A689 between Penrith and Alston in Cumbria was closed by snow at Hartside Pass. Snow was also falling on high ground across the North Pennines and Yorkshire Dales.

Commuters were also advised by TransPennine Express "not to travel unless absolutely necessary" owing to the disruption caused by the flooding.

The Environment Agency Yorkshire and North-East said people living in potentially affected areas should be prepared.

It said: “The area incident room is currently open and we will continue to monitor river levels and will issue any flood warnings if required.

“This message will be updated as the situation changes. River levels can be viewed on our website.”

Officials said teams had been out doing preventative work such as making sure screens in rivers are clear of debris so water can flow easily.

Concerns over flooding follow several days of persistent rain in some parts of the region and its effect combined with snow melt on the hills.

Weather forecasters also warned of potential 65mph winds on the North-East coast during Monday evening - the tail end of Storm Angus - while people in North Yorkshire were warned of potential 40 to 50mph winds.

This evening (Tuesday November 22) North Yorkshire County Council said the A169 Pickering to Whitby road will remain closed overnight at Blue Bank, Sleights, after between 500 and 600 tonnes of gravel was washed out of the escape lane and down into the village.

Some homes were affected by the volume of water coming down the hill and some motorists were stuck in their vehicles for a short time while the fire brigade arranged their recovery.

Large amounts of debris, mainly from the gravel trap, blocked the carriageway.

The road remains closed while the clean-up is ongoing. A gully emptier, excavators and high pressure jets are being used to clear the road and replacement material has been ordered for the escape lane will be delivered tomorrow (Wednesday, November 23) and the road will be reopened as soon as it is safe to do so.

Elsewhere, the council's highways teams have been out clearing up flooding debris and making roads safe.

However, a number of roads across the county are still affected by surface water. Drivers are advised to take care and not to put themselves in danger by disregarding warning signs. 

An inspection at Cattal Bridge, near Tockwith, has been carried out and the bridge will remain closed for the rest of today and probably most of tomorrow until water levels recede.

The county council has extra signs in place warning that the bridge is closed but motorists have still been seen ignoring them.

Don Mackenzie, North Yorkshire’s Executive Member for Highways, said: “A few roads remain closed and we continue to monitor the highways network and work to get the roads open as soon as we can.  However, it is very important that people continue to drive carefully and heed warning signs on roads across the county.”

Flood Warnings

• Middlesbrough Becks at Middlesbrough: Homes near Ormesby Beck, Spencer Beck, Middle Beck, Newham Beck, and Marton West Beck in Middlesbrough
• Middlesbrough Becks at lower lying parts of Middlesbrough: Properties at lower lying parts of Ormesby near Middle and Spencer Becks, including High Street, and South Bank Road at Cargo Fleet
• River Leven at lower Great Ayton: Properties at Levenside, High Street, Park Square, School Lane, Leven Court, and properties at Little Ayton.

• River Leven at Hutton Rudby:  Properties in the Holmes, Leven Valley, and Levenside

  River Esk: from Briggswath (Sleights Bridge) downstream to A171 at Whitby

Flood Alerts

• Lower River Wear from Escomb to Chester-le-Street including Browney, Cong Burn and Lumley Park Burn
• River Gaunless and its tributaries
•  River Skerne and tributaries from its source downstream to the Tees, including the Carr Areas
• Lower River Tees from Middleton St George to Tees Barrage, including Lustrum Beck, Greatham Beck and riverside footpaths at Yarm
• Coastal Streams in Redcar & Cleveland, including Skelton Beck and Skinningrove Beck
• River Wiske and tributaries to River Swale confluence
• Rivers Derwent, Team, Don, their tributaries and south bank tributaries of the Tyne Estuary
• River Rede and tributaries from Catcleugh reservoir to Redesmouth
• Rivers Wansbeck, Font, Hart Burn and tributaries
• Lower River Derwent around Stamford Bridge, Pocklington, Wressle, Wilberfoss and Elvington
•  Upper River Nidd and tributaries downstream to Walshford at the A1
• Lower River Nidd and tributaries from Walshford at A1 to River Ouse confluence
• River Rye and  tributaries, including the Hovingham, Helmsley, Kirbymoorside and Pickering areas
• River Esk
• Upper Derwent and Scarborough areas, including land around The Sea Cut at Scalby, Throxenby Beck, Old Malton, and Priorpot Beck in Norton
• Upper River Cocquet, River Alwin and tributaries
• Lower River Cocquet from Brinkburen to Warkworth
• Tyne Estuary from Wylam to North Sea coast
• Ouseburn, its tributaries and north bank tributaries of the Tyne Estuary
• Rivers Pont and Blyth and tributaries

See the Environment Agency's latest flood warnings and alerts

Julian Mayes, a spokesman for weather forecasters MeteoGroup, said Tuesday would be mostly cloudy with patchy rain.

He said: “It will stay dull in the afternoon, but it is going to be drier in most places.”

A trampoline is blown into a street in Blyth, Northumberland, as wind and rain batters parts of Britain. Picture: Blyth Police

The Environment Agency has put more than 75 flood warnings in place across the South West, Midlands, North-East, North West, Wales and the East of England tonight and issued a further 207 flood alerts across England and Wales.

Clare Dinnis, national flood duty manager at the EA, said: "Environment Agency teams are working hard to reduce the risk of flooding, but we want to remind people not to take unnecessary risks and avoid driving through flood water or walking near swollen rivers.

"People should also take care if walking by the coast as there is a risk of large waves caused by strong and gale force winds."

• Have you got any photos of the deluge or weather-related news? E-mail newsdesk@nne.co.uk or call 01325 505068