Britain braced for more floods

Firefighters rescue stranded motorists from a flooded road outside Castleford, West Yorkshire Credit: Anna Gowthorpe/PA Wire

Parts of Britain are being warned they could face further floods after the most intense September storm for decades.

The Environment Agency has issued 55 flood warnings and 106 less serious flood alerts for England and Wales, with up to 1.6 inches of rain set to fall in the next 24 hours.

Around 400 properties have flooded across the country since Sunday when the wet and windy conditions began to hit, the agency said:

The North of England has been warned to prepare for flooding.

Flood waters have covered large areas of North Yorkshire, and the agency has said this area is its main focus.

An aerial view showing flood water from the River Ouse in York, North Yorkshire Credit: Anna Gowthorpe/PA Wire

The latest forecast with ITV Weather presenter Alex Beresford

In Newburn, Newcastle, a modern block of flats is close to collapse after recent flooding badly damaged its surrounding foundations.

Residents of the building have been evacuated and engineers will assess the damage once the weather improves.

The Environment Agency has warned that river levels will continue to rise through Wednesday along the River Ouse in Yorkshire and the River Severn, which could cause further flooding as the water moves downstream.

A man watches flood water rise in York as the River Ouse continues to rise today Credit: John Giles/PA Wire

One of the areas hit hard by flooding is Castleford in West Yorkshire. However, some residents are trying to make the best out of a bad situation - including one man who used it as an opportunity to ski his way across the water.

The North Yorkshire town of Tadcaster has been split in two by the closure of a bridge due to the floods.

Emergency services at Bridge Street in Tadcaster which has been closed Credit: Jon Hill

The town's mayor Steve Cobb said:

North Yorkshire County Council said the bridge, which carries the A659 over the River Wharfe, has been closed as a precaution.

A spokeswoman said engineers were checking what they could but a full inspection was not possible until river levels subsided.

It is understood the closure was put in place after firefighters noticed water seeping through the structure.

The weather has been a popular topic on Twitter today, with some people tweeting:

Yesterday, hundreds of people spent a night in temporary accommodation after a second day of heavy rain brought flooding and travel chaos to parts of the UK.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution has released video footage of a flood rescue operation in Teeside.

Emergency services dealt with 100s of call-outs yesterday as people were left stranded by floodwaters and overflowing rivers surged into homes and businesses.

Firefighters rescue stranded motorists from a flooded road outside Castleford, West Yorkshire Credit: Anna Gowthorpe/PA Wire

Residents of Aberdeen's Footdee area were greeted by a strange foam-like substance which descended on the local beach.

It was caused by high winds forcing foam from the North Sea.

Sand, foam and heavy rain from the Grampian Coast in Aberdeen covered several vehicles and homes in the area yesterday. Credit: STV

Roads and railways ground to a halt because of the rain and flooding, with the A1 and the East Coast Main Line among the routes hit by the conditions.

The flooded railway line near Dalton, North Yorkshire Credit: Network Rail/PA Wire

In Morpeth, parts of the town were evacuated as a precaution before the river burst its banks and an estimated 40 stranded residents were rescued using lifeboats, although water levels later appeared to have peaked.

A flooded back garden in Morpeth Credit: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire
Northumberland fire and rescue search flooded houses in Morpeth Credit: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire

The Met Office said an area of low pressure measuring 973 millibars had been recorded near the coast of the north east of England - the lowest in the UK for September since 1981.