Yorkshire flash floods: Clear-up operation under way

A clear-up operation is under way in parts of Yorkshire after torrential rain caused flash flooding.

North Yorkshire and East Yorkshire were badly affected on Wednesday, with some homes and businesses being evacuated.

Humberside Fire Service received 135 calls in three hours as heavy rain fell on Goole and the aftermath left the town college closed.

In Dunnington, near York, trees came down in high winds and hailstones damaged the Britain in Bloom entry.

In the port of Goole the clear up has started and an investigation has begun into why street drains filled and left standing water.

The town's Conservative MP, Andrew Percy, said an assessment would be carried out of the damage caused by the weather.

He said council officials would be attempting to find out why there had been standing water in some areas.

College closed

Goole College said the heavy rainfall had caused flooding and that it would be closed until Friday morning.

And in the village of Dunnington, on Thursday, Britain in Bloom judges were due to assess damage the displays.

Efforts were being made to tidy up the village after it was hit by high winds and hailstones.

Roy Freer, chairman of the Dunnington in Bloom committee, said hailstones "the size of small golf balls" had fallen on the area.

He said: "We've never experienced a storm like it in Dunnington, I've lived here all my life and it was just absolutely torrential."

Mr Freer said villagers had been out since early on Thursday trying to tidy up the area.

He added: "One of the big chestnut trees was struck and came down and finished up smashing into a summer house. Someone could have been killed.

A tree fell over in Dunnington after high winds and torrential rain hit the village

"It was the hailstones that did the damage, they were like small golf balls, they just devastated all the flower tubs and everything.

"The unbelievable thing is that at Holtby and Strensall they didn't get anything at all."

Parts of the region received almost a month's rainfall in 12 hours, weather experts said.

Between 06:00 and 18:00 BST on Wednesday, Howden received 41.9mm of rain while Leconfield had 24mm, with 22.6mm falling there over a one-hour period.

About 50 firefighters were sent to Goole to help pump out buildings in the town.

A residential home for the elderly and a supermarket in the town centre were among the buildings evacuated.

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

North Yorkshire's fire service said crews were called 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 some damage.