Newcastle Quayside floods as River Tyne bursts its banks

The River Tyne burst its banks and flooded pathways on Thursday

The River Tyne's water level is being monitored after it burst its banks and flooded part of Newcastle's Quayside.

Pictures showed the unusually high water level lapping the path between the High Level and Tyne bridges.

Newcastle City Council closed some car parks, but has said the weekend's Quayside Market would still take place. Debris was removed from the area.

The Environment Agency said the phenomenon was linked to high spring tides.

Drivers have been told to avoid the Watergate and Quayside West car parks until the end of Friday at the earliest.

According to experts, the water level was 3.2m (10ft) above what is expected at the Quayside.

The water had receded but the Environment Agency said it was prepared if more flooding occurs.

It said it was continuing to monitor the situation, but the level did not reach that required before flood defences are used.

'We are ready'

A spokesperson said: "Our teams have been closely monitoring water levels and forecasts in the Tyne Estuary, with a number of flood alerts still in place as a result of rising water following high spring tides.

"Tides will fall over the coming day or so and we are working closely with the council to ensure we are ready should there be any further flooding."

The council said the last spring tide was expected on Friday and they did not anticipate disruption to the market on Sunday.

A spokesperson said: "Our flood resilience team and the Environment Agency will continue to monitor the situation over the next 24 hours and stand ready to act if flooding reoccurs.

"We would like to thank the public for their cooperation."

The flooding comes as transport in the south-west of England was also disrupted by high spring tides on Thursday.