THE River Ouse has burst its banks overnight.

At 7pm yesterday, the Foss Barrier was closed for what is believed to be the first time since its £17million upgrade, after the Environment Agency issued two flood alerts and one warning for the River Ouse.

The barrier is expected to remain in place for 48 hours, in a bid to protect the city, almost two years after the flooding disaster that hit hundreds of the city's homes and businesses in 2015.

So far, the water does not appear to have breached any homes or businesses.

The Environment Agency said that the Ouse had reached a depth of three metres in the city by 8am this morning and the Foss had reached just under eight metres, meaning flooding was possible in both areas.