'It was like a swimming pool': Storm Darragh floods restaurant and closes Beamish Museum

The Fox and Hound in Slapewath, near Guisborough, has had to send all staff home after flooding. Credit: ITV Tyne Tees

A business owner in North Yorkshire has had to stop water flooding into his restaurant from Storm Darragh by using tea towels.

Asain Hussain from the Fox and Hound in Slapewath, near Guisborough, has had to cancel all bookings for this evening and is expecting to have to cancel bookings for tomorrow (Sunday 8 December) as well.

Mr Hussain told ITV Tyne Tees: "We have only just opened up, it's a hard time anyway in the run-up to Christmas. But you know this has happened now.

"I was sat in the office doing my work, it was a quiet morning, and then I looked and came out and it was like a swimming pool out here.

"We didn't have any sandbags or anything, we're in the middle of nowhere, we can't really go out and get any, because everywhere else around here is water-bound."

In Redcar where there has been strong wind, one grandfather and his grandson said they "jumped out of our skin" when a tree next to their house uprooted and hit their window.

A tree came down just metres from a home in Redcar. Credit: ITV Tyne Tees

Terry Pattison told ITV Tyne Tees: "We really jumped. It was really scary.

"I could have been reversing my car at the same time, or a dog walker could have been walking by and it could have ended very differently."

A yellow weather warning is in place for the North East of England and North Yorkshire for rain and wind as Storm Darragh makes landfall.

The Met Office-named storm has caused disruption across the region - and has even led to a rare red weather warning in place for other parts of the country.

Almost 100 houses across Northumberland have been left without power according to the Northern Powergrid.

A tree fell over blocking the road near Gibside in Gateshead earlier this afternoon. Credit: Jamie Allen

Beamish Museum issued a statement to apologise that it was having to close its doors at one of the busiest times of the year.

It said: "We’re saddened to have to make this decision but the safety of our visitors, staff and volunteers must always come first and with the weather warnings in place for tomorrow, it just wouldn’t be possible to open.

"For anyone with a Grotto booking for tomorrow (7th December), we’ll be sending you an email with further information."

The Alnwick Garden also shut to visitors today due to the high winds.

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