A VIKING longship race on the River Ouse is still set to go ahead tomorrow despite the recent rise in the river level, say the organisers of the city's Jolablot festival.

The Longships River Challenge, a boat regatta on the Ouse between Ouse Bridge and Skeldergate Bridge, will see intrepid voyagers from Norway, Ireland, France and the UK row against one another in their traditional boats, which have been modelled on the Viking longships. The event takes place between noon and 2pm.

Doubts were raised about whether the event would go ahead after heavy rains saw the Ouse rise to almost 15 feet above its normal level on Tuesday.

But Gillian Neild, press officer for Jorvik, said the longship race was set to take place.

She said: "We are obviously keeping an eye on the situation, but at the moment we are still planning for the event to go. If the situation changes, we will let people know."

People should also be aware that the Castle Car Park will be closed between 6.30pm and 7.30pm on Saturday for the festival's finale.

Updated: 11:25 Friday, February 15, 2002