A HIGH-RANKING fire officer revealed how the service was stretched to the limit during flash floods which hit the North-East on Wednesday night.

Crews from Darlington and County Durham fire brigade responded to 93 calls when storm water swept through the Carrville and Gilesgate areas of Durham City, forcing families to be evacuated from their homes and businesses to close down.

At one point, the busy A690 road under the railway bridge near Ramside Hall Hotel was impassable, and the occupants of a car marooned in the water had to be rescued from the car roof.

At the same spot, prisoners being transported were transferred to another vehicle when their secure van became engulfed by floods.

David Turnbull, station officer at the county's brigade headquarters in Durham City, yesterday praised the officers who had helped in the emergency.

He said: "It was literally all hands to the pump, and we had to call in off-duty staff to deal with the scores of emergencies.

"I was mightily impressed with the way everyone responded, from the headquarter's control room staff to the officers at the scene.

"I have never seen anything like it, it was the sheer volume of water that came down. The drainage system simply couldn't cope."

Mr Turnbull, who was one of the first to arrive at Carrville, described the community's main street as a river under at least 4ft of water at the height of the storm.

At The Grange public house, landlady Elsie Shutt told how she and customers watched in disbelief as the water rose outside.

She said: "My husband went to the back door, and when he opened it a wall of water gushed through the premises.

"We have had to close the pub until we can mop up all the mess."

A nearby garage had to be closed when it was surrounded by water.

Homes in Broom Road were among the worst hit, with resident Jim Nicholls also losing his Renault Megan car, which was damaged by floodwater and has been written off.

Several families were evacuated from their homes. Even pets became victims when, in one home, a guinea-pig was resuscitated with heart massage and a drop of whisky when it nearly drowned as its cage became submerged.

The big mop-up began yesterday morning, with sodden carpets being dragged out of houses and residents contacting insurance companies to report their losses.

At neighbouring West Rainton, a house was badly damaged when it was struck by lightning, and flooding incidents were reported in several other villages.

At the University Hospital of North Durham, patients had to be moved from second-floor wards in three buildings when water leaked in.

A swift clean-up operation was carried out by maintenance and domestic staff, and water was pumped out of the hospital's central sterilisation department.

Isabel Kellie, acting chief executive, said: "Nursing staff acted very promptly in getting patients into alternative accommodation without disruptions to their care.

"No patients were at any risk, damage has been minor and will be rectified by our PFI (private finance initiative) partner."

Firefighters said that over and above the 93 turnouts, they received 193 calls.

Under new plans revealed by the Government, householders could get warnings of floods by text message, e-mail or Internet chat.