Drivers caught in flooding this morning said they were terrified as they battled through rising water.

Dozens of roads have been closed across the North as the environment agency issued 50 flood alerts, 18 of them in North Yorkshire.

Ian Smith had to get out of his works van and push it out of the floods fearing all the time he could be pushed over by the force of the river.

He was trapped as he went across Morton on Swale bridge on the main A684 road between Northallerton, the A1 motorway and Bedale around 8am this morning, a driver in a mini also broke down as she battled through.

"It was really scary," said Mr Smith, from Carlton Miniott, near Thirsk. "People were taking turns to go through and it wasn't too bad, but what we didn't realise is the water was coming up all the time and as I went through the van just stopped.

"I got out and was up to my thighs in water, I pushed the van out but it took a lot of effort, lorries were just coming past and water was washing across us.

"It was surreal I really wouldn't have believed it could come up so quickly."

The driver of the mini added: "Other cars had gone through in front but it was just coming up so fast the car stopped, I was terrified, I really didn't know what to do and lorries just kept coming past and washing the floods up.

"I managed to contact my husband and he pushed the car out, but we had to move it about three times because the river was rising so fast."

The government flood warnings agency say river levels are expected to continue rising throughout the day and roads closed including Morton on Swale bridge through the night.

North Yorkshire county council say the following roads are currently closed.

A6108 Middleham and Middleham bridge closed due to flooding

Ulshaw Bridge closed due to flooding

A6108 Cover Bridge closed due to flooding

A684 Aysgarth to Bainbridge closed due to flooding

Thornton Rust closed due to flooding

Riverside Road, Richmond closed due to flooding

A684 Morton on Swale Bridge closed due to flooding

A684 #Wensley closed due to flooding

North Walden closed due to flooding