Evacuations as flash flooding hits Yorkshire

Humberside Fire Service received around 135 calls on Wednesday afternoon as heavy rain fell. Around 50 firefighters were deployed to the town to help pump out buildings affected by flooding.

A number of elderly people were evacuated from a care home until the water subsided.

With the clear-up operation now under way, weather experts say areas of Yorkshire received almost a month’s rainfall in just 12 hours.

Between 6am and 6pm, Howden received 41.9mm, while Leconfield had 24mm of rain, with 22.6mm falling there over a period of just one hour.

In Dunnington, North Yorkshire, trees collapsed when high winds and torrential rains hit the village.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said: “Numerous trees came down on Common Road, and were believed to be blocking the highways and affecting power lines.

“Firefighters went out as a cautionary measure to check it was safe.”

In the York area, a Tesco supermarket at Askham Bar was evacuated after the roof began leaking.

Crews were also sent to a house in Stepney Road, Scarborough after a fire broke out as a result of a lightning strike.

The occupants were out of the property, but the fire caused damage to the lounge and smoke damage elsewhere in the house.

Although the clear-up has begun, more rain is expected across parts of the UK on Thursday.

“There’s an active frontal system moving across much of the UK, so there could be further heavy rain falls across eastern England,” Aisling Creevey, a forecaster with MeteoGroup said.

“At the moment the areas at most risk are east Anglia, south-east England and the east Midlands. We could see up to 25mm of rain fall in some areas.

“That front will move eastwards and most of that front won’t clear East Anglia until tonight.”