Flooding - day 3 (From York Press)

7:30am

This story is no longer being updated - please follow the Day 4 story for further updates. Thanks to everyone who sent pictures and updates yesterday.

9:03pm

Thanks for sending us your flood stories. Latest one here from  Skeldergate resident Mel Sweeney.

"Awoken by a knock on the door on Wednesday at 4am and asked to remove vehicles from underground car park before the closing of the flood gates.

"Thankfully we got ours out, unlike some. I believe there may be four or five vehicles still down there.

"They built a temporary footbridge for us residents, we thought great, freedom but later that evening the river rose too much and submerged the bridge and part of it had to be dismantled.

 "Unlucky for us as we had gone out. On our return we had to wade through the water to reach the only remaining part of the bridge. 

"Thankfully today, Thursday,  we have had the help from the fire service which was gratefully received becuase my husband had to attend a hospital appointment. We have stocked up on provisions as we may be here some time looking at the river level this evening.

7:06pm

The Environment Agency says the tide expected to hit Selby at about 7pm should not be as high as feared.

Authorities in the town added extra sand bags to defences over worries that this evening's high tide could cause an already badly-swollen River Ouse to burst its banks.

More later

6:05pm

5:52pm

We've been inundated with pictures from readers today by email and twitter. Thanks to all who've sent them in. Here's a gallery with 128 so far - we'll aim to add more tomorrow:

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/pics/galleries/floods2012/

5:47pm

Reports of traffic disruption again this evening. The A19 closure at Fulford is causing delays elsewhere.

5:46pm

The massive sandbagging operation is continuing in Selby to prevent the swollen River Ouse breaching flood defences.
The Environment Agency said 150 one-ton sandbags were laid to bolster defences in Ousegate as a precautionary measure, prior to high tide at 7pm when there was some concern they might be overtopped.
About 70 soldiers from York have been in Cawood today to help fill 4,000 sandbags to support existing defences, amid concern they might also be overtopped.
Major David Orr, who headed up the military team, said: “Some of the locations were quite difficult to get to and, in some places, the lads carried the sandbags quite a distance.”

5:38pm

THE bridge over the River Wharfe at Tadcaster remains closed to motorists and pedestrians, as river levels are still too high for engineers to inspect damage caused when floodwater seeped through stonework.

North Yorkshire County Council said the experts were ready to undertake inspections of the structure - and of another closed bridge at Boroughbridge - as soon as possible.

“Once they have inspected the bridges, they will know whether they are safe to use again,” said a spokeswoman.

“The bridges are closed for the safety of the travelling public and members of the public are reminded of the need to take heed of closure signs.”

The Tadcaster closure has divided the town in two, although pedeestrian can now use a disused railway viaduct to get from one side to the other.

The council added that annual maintenance work on the Selby by-pass swing bridge has been postponed for one week, so it can remain open to traffic this weekend.

5:24pm

4:56pm

A little bit of history to......  Here's a picture gallery of the famous 1947 York floods, long before flood defences of the sort we have today:

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/pics/galleries/floods1947/

4:50pm

4:48pm

4:41pm

4:41pm

4:37pm

The Ouse today peaked at 16ft and 7 and a half inches. We've just checked our archives, and that's about half an inch higher than the floods in 1982. So it appears this weeks flood has been the 2nd highest in modern history, second only to that of November 2000.

Previous major floods, such as those in 1947, 1978 and 1982, were shallower but caused more devastation due to the lack of flood-defences.

4:25pm

Council confirms the following roads in York will remain closed/restricted tonight and reviewed tomorrow morning.

A19 (Germany Beck)
The Crematorium is open, customers please use Bishopthorpe Road from the city/ Past Terrys.
Skeldergate
Monks Cross Link Road
Acaster Malbis (riverside road)
Nether Poppleton (riverside road)
Naburn at Howden Lane
Terry Avenue
St George's Field Car Park
Esplanade Car Park
Tower Street (both ways)
Fordlands Road
Knavesmire Road
Bishopthorpe Road (restricted access).

4:19pm

3:58pm

3:48pm

Tourism organisation Visit York is increasingly keen to reiterate that the city.

They say:

• We have emailed all visitors who have booked a stay in York imminently to reassure them
• We have issued a media statement to this effect to counter any inaccurate reports
• We are liaising with both council colleagues and key tourism partners to encourage assistance in getting across our ‘York Open For Business’ message
• We are using social media to get the message out that York is open for business and remains unaffected, despite any reports to the contrary
• We are working to set up media interviews on an ongoing basis with local and regional press and broadcast.
• Personal one to one contact with our key media contacts and heads of news, planning etc – this work is ongoing.

3:44pm

This is a statement from Yorkshire Water, sent this afternoon:

"We feel desperately sorry for anybody who has been flooded and we’re working hard to help anyone who has been affected.

"Indeed, a massive effort is currently underway in York, working alongside the Council, the Environment Agency and the emergency services, to do what we can to reduce flooding in the city.

"The River Ouse rose significantly overnight and it now stands at over 5 metres above normal levels, though I’m pleased to say it has now stabilised.

"We’re seeing river water getting into our sewer network and overloading it, which is causing it to surcharge at Leeman Road and Jubilee Terrace.

"Working alongside the fire service, we currently have a number of mobile pumps in operation to reduce the overloading of our sewer network and all of our pumping stations are operational and working hard to pump the waters up for treatment.

"All this pumping is having a very positive impact and in the last few hours, we have seen flood waters begin to fall on Leeman Road and Jubilee Terrace.

"However, the most important factor in all this remains the exceptionally high level of the River Ouse, so obviously as it starts to subside, we’re expecting the situation regarding our local sewer network to improve dramatically.

"We also have teams on the ground helping those customers in both areas who have been flooded.

It’s important to stress that a great deal of work has gone into ensuring
we were prepared for this rainfall.

We sandbagged our key pumping stations and sewage works, not just in York,
but across the region, to help protect them from any flooding, in order to
ensure no vital operations were hindered or interrupted.

As part of a coordinated approach with The City Of York Council, we
identified customers who historically have been at risk from flooding and
provided them where possible with sandbags as an extra line of defence.

We’ll continue to work incredibly hard, and do everything we can to reduce
flooding and the risk of further flooding in the city, as well as helping
those people who have been flooded.

3:29pm

A19 (Germany Beck)
Skeldergate
Monks Cross Link Road
Acaster Malbis (riverside road)
Nether Poppleton (riverside road)
Naburn at Howden Lane
Terry Avenue
St George's Field Car Park
Esplanade Car Park
Tower Street (both ways)
Fordlands Road
Salisbury Road/Leeman Road is now open. Bus operators with routes affected have been informed so buses should be going back onto original lines of route.
Knavesmire Rad
Bishopthorpe Road (restricted access).

Current river levels are 5.04 mtrs above summer level (asl). Levels have stabilised and are now expected to decrease slowly over the next few days.

3:24pm

A19 (Germany Beck)
Skeldergate
Monks Cross Link Road
Acaster Malbis (riverside road)
Nether Poppleton (riverside road)
Naburn at Howden Lane
Terry Avenue
St George's Field Car Park
Esplanade Car Park
Tower Street (both ways)
Fordlands Road
Salisbury Road/Leeman Road is now open. Bus operators with routes affected have been informed so buses should be going back onto original lines of route.
Knavesmire Rad
Bishopthorpe Road (restricted access).

Current river levels are 5.04 mtrs above summer level (asl). Levels have stabilised and are now expected to decrease slowly over the next few days.

3:24pm

A19 (Germany Beck)
Skeldergate
Monks Cross Link Road
Acaster Malbis (riverside road)
Nether Poppleton (riverside road)
Naburn at Howden Lane
Terry Avenue
St George's Field Car Park
Esplanade Car Park
Tower Street (both ways)
Fordlands Road
Salisbury Road/Leeman Road is now open. Bus operators with routes affected have been informed so buses should be going back onto original lines of route.
Knavesmire Rad
Bishopthorpe Road (restricted access).

Current river levels are 5.04 mtrs above summer level (asl). Levels have stabilised and are now expected to decrease slowly over the next few days.

3:24pm

A19 (Germany Beck)
Skeldergate
Monks Cross Link Road
Acaster Malbis (riverside road)
Nether Poppleton (riverside road)
Naburn at Howden Lane
Terry Avenue
St George's Field Car Park
Esplanade Car Park
Tower Street (both ways)
Fordlands Road
Salisbury Road/Leeman Road is now open. Bus operators with routes affected have been informed so buses should be going back onto original lines of route.
Knavesmire Rad
Bishopthorpe Road (restricted access).

Current river levels are 5.04 mtrs above summer level (asl). Levels have stabilised and are now expected to decrease slowly over the next few days.

3:23pm

THE bridge over the River Wharfe at Tadcaster is still closed to motorists and pedestrians today, as flood levels have not yet receded sufficiently to allow engineers to inspect the structure and see what damage has been caused when floodwater seeped through stonework.
North Yorkshire County Council said the experts were ready to undertake the inspections as soon as possible. “Once they have inspected the bridges, they will know whether they are safe to use again. The bridges are closed for the safety of the travelling public and members of the public are reminded of the need to take heed of closure signs.”
It added that annual maintenance work on the Selby by-pass swing bridge has been postponed for one week, so it can remain open to traffic this weekend.

3:23pm

THE bridge over the River Wharfe at Tadcaster is still closed to motorists and pedestrians today, as flood levels have not yet receded sufficiently to allow engineers to inspect the structure and see what damage has been caused when floodwater seeped through stonework.
North Yorkshire County Council said the experts were ready to undertake the inspections as soon as possible. “Once they have inspected the bridges, they will know whether they are safe to use again. The bridges are closed for the safety of the travelling public and members of the public are reminded of the need to take heed of closure signs.”
It added that annual maintenance work on the Selby by-pass swing bridge has been postponed for one week, so it can remain open to traffic this weekend.

3:20pm

Roads closed by flooding at 3pm today

A19 (Germany Beck)
Skeldergate
Monks Cross Link Road
Acaster Malbis (riverside road)
Nether Poppleton (riverside road)
Naburn at Howden Lane
Terry Avenue
St George's Field Car Park
Esplanade Car Park
Tower Street (both ways)
Fordlands Road
Salisbury Road/Leeman Road is now open. Bus operators with routes affected have been informed so buses should be going back onto original lines of route.
Knavesmire Rad
Bishopthorpe Road (restricted access).

Current river levels are 5.04 mtrs above summer level (asl). Levels have stabilised and are now expected to decrease slowly over the next few days. To put this into context the maximum river levels in the year 2000 floods was 5.4 mtrs asl, so York is very much open for business and all agencies have sufficient resources in place.

3:12pm

An update from City of York Council on bus services....

"The current flooding is causing significant delays to all bus routes in the city.  Below is a summary by routes showing the current diversions that are in place:

Route 1 – Not directly affected.

Route 2 Rawcliffe Bar Park & Ride – Buses returning to original route following earlier diversion.

Route 3 Askham Bar Park & Ride – Buses are terminating at York Station and not serving Rougier Street or Tower Street.

Route 4 – Clifford Street not being served with buses stopping in Piccadilly in both directions.

Route X4 – All stops still served but buses are experiencing significant delays.

Route 5 – Buses returning to original route following earlier diversion.

Route 6 – Not directly affected.

Route 7 Designer Outlet Park & Ride – Service is split: Some buses are travelling directly between the site and the city centre via A1036 Tadcaster Road (intermediate stops not served).  Some buses are travelling via A19 Fulford Road, Broadway, Heslington Lane, returning to the city centre via A19 Fulford Road.

Route 8 Grimston Bar Park & Ride – Not directly affected but significant delays.

Route 9 Monks Cross Park & Ride – Not directly affected.

Route 10 – Buses are not serving Main Street, Nether Poppleton and Long Ridge Lane.  All are travelling out via Millfield Lane, Ebor Way and Long Ridge Lane, returning via Millfield Lane.

Route 11 – From Heworth, buses are running via York Station, Nunnery Lane, A59 Bishopthorpe Road, Queen Victoria Street, Knavesmire Road, Campleshon Road, Bishopthorpe Road, A59 Scarcroft Road, A1036 Tadcaster Road, Sim Balk Lane to Bishopthorpe.  Buses are experiencing significant delays due to traffic and the extended route.

Route 12 – Not directly affected.

Route 13 – Not directly affected.

Route 16 – Not directly affected.

Route 19 – Buses returning to original route following earlier diversion.

Route 20 – Main Street Nether Poppleton is not being served with all buses running via Ebor Way.

Route 21 – Buses are not serving Acaster Malbis village but are still serving Mount Pleasant caravan park.  Buses are unable to serve Knavesmire Road, South Bank and Bishopthorpe Road.

Route 24, 26 – Buses returning to original route following earlier diversion.  Please note that this is the only service serving Fulford village and the Fordlands Road area.

Route 29, 29A - Buses returning to original route following earlier diversion.

Route 30 – Buses returning to original route following earlier diversion.

Route 31, 31X - Buses returning to original route following earlier diversion.

Route 35 – Buses are not serving A19 Fulford Road.  All buses are running via A1079 Hull Road.

Route 36 - Buses are not serving A19 Fulford Road.  All buses are running via A1079 Hull Road.

Route 37 – Buses are terminating at York Station and not serving any other city centre stops.

Route 40 – Not directly affected.

Route 42 – Service only operating between Selby and Cawood.

Route 44 – Not directly affected.

Route X46, X47 – All stops are still being served but currently experiencing significant delays.

Route 142, 143 – Most of the route is unaffected but buses are not currently serving Tower Street.

Route 181 – Not directly affected.

Route 195 - All stops are still being served but currently experiencing significant delays.

Route 412, 413 – Most of the route is unaffected but buses are not currently serving Tower Street.

Route 415 – No stops on A19 Fulford Road south of the junction with Heslington Lane are currently served.  In the city centre, buses are serving Piccadilly and The Stonebow only (not Clifford Street).

Route 840 and other Coastliner routes – Not directly affected in York but diversions in place for Tadcaster.

Route 844 – Buses from Leeds are terminating in the city centre and not serving University of York.

3:02pm

JUST IN - The Environment Agency tell us that 150 one-tonne sandbags are being placed along the top of the flood defences in Ousegate, Selby, as a precautionary measure prior to high tide at 7pm this evening, when the defences may be stretched.

2:49pm

County council highways managers have decided to postpone annual maintenance work on the Selby by-pass swing bridge for one week so that the bridge can remain open to traffic this weekend because of the disruption caused by flooding

2:45pm

Since the flooding began North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue have dealt 518 calls and attended 305 incidents

2:23pm

David Dunning reports from Skeldergate where the fire service is aiding residents:

2:22pm

City of York Council is reminding residents that there is still access to the Crematorium. Visitors are asked to access the site via Bishopthorpe Road, past the Terry's factory.

The level of the Ouse currently stands at 5.06 metres above its usual level though has now speaked and levels are expected to decrease over the next few days.

1:56pm

Open for business... David Dunning reports from the York Food & Festival. 

1:54pm

David Dunning reports from inside the York Dungeon 'Torture Chamber':

12:53pm

Tourism organisation Visit York is keen to stress that York is "open for business" and that the city's flood defences have not been breached.

A spokeswoman said: "All attractions, shops, bars and restaurants in York remain open, with the exception of those few which are located by the riverside, where there has been localised flooding."

Gillian Cruddas MBE, the organisation's chief executive, says: "We would like to reassure all those planning to visit York in the coming days, that the city is fully open for business. 

"In fact, today is a beautiful sunny autumn day in York, showcasing the city at its finest.  The city’s annual food festival is in full swing and thousands of visitors are enjoying the Yorkshire produce on offer."

12:47pm

Cawood Church, picnic tables from the Ferry Inn caught at  Cawood Bridge and Ryther village Hall

Pics: Eric Foster

12:43pm

Traffic queues on the York outer ring road as motorists struggle with the morning commute.

Latest traffic and travel>>

12:40pm

Emperors Wharf, Skeldergate. Pictures: Anna Pinkstone:

12:39pm

12:30pm

12:30pm

The Basement Bar of York’s City Screen Cinema has been flooded

The Comedy Club events scheduled for Saturday and Sunday nights have both been cancelled, and the Fusion restaurant in the Basement Bar will be closed over the weekend.

Otherwise, the cinema remains open for business, with a full programme of films, stressed assistant manager Joe Richardson.

Anyone who had booked tickets for the cancelled Comedy Club events will be offered a refund.

For updates on the situation at City Screen call the booking line on 0871 9025726, check out the cinema’s facebook page at facebook/cityscreenyork, or follow it on twitter at @cityscreenyork

12:23pm

This is from the readers' comments section below -  

12:22pm

Thanks again to everyone who is emailing, tweeting or phoning us with updates. We've just been told that yesterday's story was the most-read across all Newsquest websites nationwide.

12:18pm

Police say some motorists are still ignoring road closure signs and even crossing bridges which have yet to be checked by structural engineers.

Assistant Chief Constable Iain Spittal, of North Yorkshire Police, said: “The behaviour of some motorists across the county is causing me some concern.

“Some people have been blatantly and, at times, aggressively ignoring the advice of police officers and crossing road bridges which still need to be checked by North Yorkshire County Council.

“A large number of bridges on minor roads have been submerged or have had significant water pressure on them over the past few days. By crossing them before they have been deemed safe people are potentially putting their lives at risk.

“The County Council are checking bridges as quickly as they can but some can’t be assessed until the water has submerged.

“A huge amount of work has been done over the past few days to keep our communities safe and I urge people not to put their lives at risk for the sake of a longer journey.”

As the efforts to keep North Yorkshire and the City of York open for business and its communities safe from the flood water and its effects, ACC Spittal praised the multi-agency response to the situation.

He said: “The partnership response to the flooding across the whole of North Yorkshire and the City of York has been outstanding. The situation is slowly improving and I urge the public to remain patient and help us to protect them.”

12:13pm

Police are urging motorists to drive safely as flooding continues to affect the region.

Assistant Chief Constable Iain Spittal, of North Yorkshire Police, said some motorists have been putting their lives at risk by ignoring road closure signs.

“The behaviour of some motorists across the county is causing me some concern," he said.

“Some people have been blatantly and, at times, aggressively ignoring the advice of police officers and crossing road bridges which still need to be checked by North Yorkshire County Council.

“A large number of bridges on minor roads have been submerged or have had significant water pressure on them over the past few days. By crossing them before they have been deemed safe people are potentially putting their lives at risk.

“The County Council are checking bridges as quickly as they can but some can’t be assessed until the water has submerged.

“A huge amount of work has been done over the past few days to keep our communities safe and I urge people not to put their lives at risk for the sake of a longer journey.”

As the efforts to keep North Yorkshire and the City of York open for business and its communities safe from the flood water and its effects, ACC Spittal praised the multi-agency response to the situation.

He said: “The partnership response to the flooding across the whole of North Yorkshire and the City of York has been outstanding. The situation is slowly improving and I urge the public to remain patient and help us to protect them.”

11:54am

A section of Main Street in Bishopthorpe is under about one foot of flood water but with motorists still managing to get through.
Residents said the flood waters appeared to be coming up through the drains.
The road between Bishopthorpe and York is closed by flooding near to the entrance of York Crematorium, although it is still accessible from York via Bishopthorpe Road.

11:42am

Five businesses in Tower Street have been flooded out. They are: Dickinson's Cafe, The Olive Tree restaurant, Ali G's takeaway, Ning Malaysian restaurant and Castle Pool and Snooker Club.

Andy Spracklen, co-owner of Ning Malaysian restaurant, said: "The restaurant area is knee deep in water and the kitchens, which are  at a lower level level, must be waist deep by now.

"We only opened in May and have been building up some wonderful business. The flooding happened very suddenly last night. We were moving things to higher levels when we were suddenly told we had half-an-hour to evacuate the premises."

He said he had been told that his insurance would not cover flood damage but he was determined to clear the mess up, refurbish and reopen the restaurant when the waters had gone down.

Meanwhile, Mehmet Yaman, owner of Castle Snooker and Pool Club, said his pool tables were partially under water but he hoped his insurance would cover the damage.  

11:33am

Our news ed Gav Aitchison took this image of Bonding Warehouse this morning. It was devastated by floods in November 2000, but as reported earlier, flood defences have done their job this week.

11:26am

11:25am

11:23am

11:21am

A spokeswoman for Naburn Lock caravan park said parts of the park had been affected by the rising water.

She said: “The site is flooded, but the residents have access to a field on higher ground, so the few caravans we have at the moment are high, dry and safe. We moved people well in advance, because we were warned well in advance.

“They’re all keeping in touch on the computers with the Environment Agency, it’s all common sense stuff, really. The road through Naburn has been flooded, and people can’t use that, so have been finding alternative routes.”

11:14am

The council confirm that Knavesmire Road is closed in both directions.

11:09am

We're told Salisbury Terrace is now closed to cars.

11:02am

More from Salisbury Terrace...

Reader Steve Butt, at the scene, says: "Salisbury Terrace looks like a river on the main road." He said he couldn't believe his eyes when he saw it.

He said he had lived in York for 25 years and had never seen anything like this before.

10:59am

Mike Laycock in the city centre says the Grand Opera House has flooded and tonight's performance by The Upbeat Beatles and Saturday's "How Sweet Is It?" event have both been called off and will be rescheduled for a later date.

Lizzie Richards, general manager, said the lower foyer bar and orchestra pit were flooded.

10:53am

10:52am

Apologies, we reported earlier that council carers were being taken to Castle Mills in Skeldergate - it was actually Riccall Carers staff.

Christine Handy, care coordinator at the firm, says staff have been checking on their clients across the city, including Skeldergate and Naburn, and everybody is fine.

10:44am

10:43am

10:41am

10:40am

10:38am

Ous sister paper Northern Echo is today reporting widespread anger over the closure of the A1 due to flooding.

They quoted Douglas Kell, a director of the Civil Engineering Association in the Nort East, who said: "It has to be investigated to see what caused a 40-mile stretch of road to close. Is there a problem with the drainage or remedial work required? That should be looked into.

"This cannot happen again - not with such a major route."

10:38am

10:38am

Picture of the flood water near Millennium Bridge taken from Hospital Fields Road

Pic: Sarah West

10:32am

BIN COLLECTIONS - This just in from City of York Council:

"New information: Leeman Road area, there will be some disruption to rubbish collections today.
 

"The following streets that are due to have a collection today will not receive a collection:

Some or all properties in these streets may not receive a collection:  Balfour Street, Sailsbury Terrace, Carnot Street, Roseberry Street, Jubilee Terrace.

• Swinerton Avenue
• Forth Street
• Lincoln Street

A spokeswoman said: "We think that the disruption will affect a few hundred properties in total. The crews are following the advice of the fire service as to which streets are accessible. We will endeavour to return to the properties that have not had a collection as soon as possible within the next few working days, but obviously are not able to confirm when this will be at the moment."

10:18am

The council add this on buses....

"The following bus services are currently being diverted/cancelled.

• Park & Ride 3 (Askham Bar) is terminating at Station Road and is therefore not serving any stops further into York City Centre from this point. Please board/alight at the York Station or Blossom Street stops
• Diversion in place on First route 11 (Bishopthorpe - York via South Bank) due to flooding in the vicinity of Bishopthorpe Palace
• City Centre diversions due to closure of Tower Street in both directions, stopping arrangements as follows
• Route 4 (Acomb - University of York via York) in either direction, use Piccadilly, Rougier Street or York Station
• Route 7 (P&R) - use Piccadilly, Rougier Street, York Station or the Barbican Centre
• Route 415 - Use Merchantgate (off Piccadilly) or the Barbican Centre
• Please also be aware that the Coastliner service will be diverted in Tadcaster as a result of not being able to cross the river there.
• The city centre diversion routes are subject to possible change dependent on the flooding situation.
• Skeldergate (routes P&R 3 & EYMS routes)
• Fulford Road closure at Germany Beck (routes Designer Outlet P&R 7, 35, 36, 42, 415, 416). Any Fulford School services may also be diverted.
• No bus services through the Leeman Road (no 2 P&R, First route 5, TransDev route 24 and 26, all North Yorkshire Services) - Diversions via Holgate Road/Bootham
• The number 7 Designer Outlet P&R via Piccadilly
• Service 4 is being diverted via Piccadilly
• The number 3 Askham Bar P&R is terminating at the railway station
• Arriva route 42 (York - Naburn - Stillingfleet - Cawood - Selby). Due to flooding at Cawood bridge, the route is only operating between Selby and Cawood.
• Any passengers from York travelling towards Selby should use route 415. Unfortunately the buses are unable to serve Stillingfleet or Naburn at this time and do not expect to until further notice
• Harrogate Coach Travel reports that Acaster Malbis is impassable by buses on route 21.  Services will be maintained as far as Mount Pleasant caravan park but not the village itself.
• Service 10 and 20 in Nether Poppleton
• Service 21 in Acaster Malbis

10:15am

This is the latest from City of York Council:

The following roads in York will remain closed/restricted today

• A19 (Germany Beck)
• Skeldergate
• Monks Cross Link Road
• Acaster Malbis (riverside road)
• Nether Poppleton (riverside road)
• Naburn at Howden Lane
• Terry Avenue
• St George's Field Car Park
• Esplanade Car Park
• Tower Street (both ways)
• Fordlands Road
• Salisbury Terrace at Water End
• Knavesmire Road- currently no bus service can be provided via Southbank Bishopthorpe Road (restricted access)

The Crematorium is open, and customers are asked to use Bishopthrope Road/Past Terrys

A council spokeswoman said: "The river is 5.07 mtrs above normal summer levels. Levels have stabilised and are decrease steadily in the next 24hrs. To put this into context the maximum river levels in the year 2000 floods was 5.4 mtrs above summer levels, so York is very much open for business and all agencies have sufficient resources in place."

10:13am

Soldiers were called in last night to assist in sandbagging operations in the centre of York and in Cawood.
An army spokeswoman said 30 soldiers from 2 Signal Regiment at Imphal Barracks went to Peckett Street initially to help with filling sandbags. Then another 60 soldiers went down to cawood where they assisted in sandbagging flood defences.
The Environment Agency said the soldiers helped fill 2,000 sandbags.
An agency spokesman said Cawood was currently was causing it the greatest concern, with worries that the flood defences could be overtopped.

Cawood bridge this morning (reader's picture)

10:08am

Chris Chittock in Cawood emailed us earlier to say: "Council, Army and a band of hardworking villagers have been out since 0030 sandbagging along the flood defences in Cawood. Water is around 15cm below top of flood wall, at its peak it is being predicted by the EA to be around 10cm over (around 0700 apparently)"

10:06am

Yorkshire Water have issued the following statement: "A massive effort is currently underway in York, working alongside the council, the Environment Agency and the emergency services, to do what we can to reduce flooding in the city. The River Ouse has risen significantly overnight and it now stands at over 5 metres above normal levels.
"We are seeing river water getting into our sewer network and overloading it, which is causing it to surcharge at Leeman Road and Jubilee Street.
"Working alongside the fire service, we currently have mobile pumps in operation to try and reduce the overloading of our sewer network and all of our pumping stations are operational and working at full capacity to pump the waters up for treatment. More mobile pumps are being brought in this morning to further support ongoing efforts.
"However, the most important factor in all this remains the exceptionally high level of the River Ouse, so obviously as that starts to subside, we would expect the situation regarding our local sewer network to improve dramatically.
"It’s important to stress that a great deal of work has gone into ensuring we were prepared for this rainfall.
"We sandbagged our key pumping stations and sewage works, not just in York, but across the region, to help protect them from any flooding, in order to ensure no vital operations were hindered or interrupted.
"As part of a coordinated approach with The City Of York Council, we identified customers who historically have been at risk from flooding and provided them where possible with sandbags as an extra line of defence.
"We’ll continue to work incredibly hard, and do everything we can to reduce flooding and the risk of further flooding in the city, as well as helping those people who have been flooded."

10:05am

The Army are working at Cawood delivering thousands of sandbags. There are concerns that the defences may be over-topped.

10:04am

Naburn Primary School has been closed today due to flooding

10:01am

Mike Laycock in Salisbury Terrace says residents are still anxious and angry after drains backed up, putting their homes at risk.

Local resident Pete Bishop said his house in Salisbury Terrace was "one step away from being flooded".

He said: "You cannot do anything about the flooding but the drainage system needs looking at. This should not be happening in this day and age."

9:51am

More from our reporter in Leeman Road, Mike Laycock: Residents marooned in their homes in Salisbury Road complained that they had been asking for a pump to be installed since last night.
 

Vicki Capes, said: "The flood barrier was protecting her property from the river Ouse, but there is no point in this if the water could get up through the drains."

"We have been asking for a pump, but there don't seem to be any spare."

Flood water could be seen coming up through the ashphalt outside her home which was raised a couple of inches by the pressure of the water.

The landlady of the Jubilee pub Kelly Bailey, said the flood waters were nine feet deep inside her beer cellar and the pub would remain closed and she had been able to pump out the cellar and sanitise it. She said the bar itself was still a couple of feet above flood level.

Leeman Road was closed to traffic by police as of 9.30am.

Council Leader James Alexander said efforts were being made being made to find a pump to assist the Salisbury Road residents.

He also said he was very annoyed with the Environment Agency, as he had just heard only recently that it plans to reduce the scale of the improvements for the Leeman Road defences so that money could be reallocated elsewhere.

9:27am

The scene in Skeldergate where a fire crew is rescuing stranded residents and carers at City Mills sheltered housing complex:

9:08am

On Skeldergate in the last few minutes a fire crew from Malton has been taking Riccall Carers staff through the flood water to City Mills sheltered housing complex where thirty three eldery residents are stranded.

Pictures and more details to follow.

8:48am

The Army was called in to help with adding sand bags to Cawood's flood defences in the early hours of this morning:

8:47am

8:46am

Landlady Kelly Bailey in her flooded cellar at The Jubilee pub in Salisbury Terrace:

Pic: Nigel Holland

8:40am

To confirm, it looks like the Ouse HAS peaked now in York, at about five mtres and 6cm above normal summer levels (around 16 feet 5 inches). THe river will remain high for some time, and there are particular problems in Peckitt Street, where sandbags have been breached and in Leeman Road, where drains have backed up.

8:36am

8:34am

The Environment Agency said at 04:52 today that the Ouse in York city centre was five metres (16 feet 5 inches) above normal levels. They don't expect it to rise much further, but say it will remain high for some time. 

8:26am

If you're still lookig to catch up on last night's news, you can do so here: http://bit.ly/UuiF1d

A flood warning was issued for the Leeman Road area at 8.45pm, and we were on the scene as firefighters were called to pump out streets there.

There was a huge area of standing water in Balfour Street and the cellar of The Jubilee pub floooded after drains backed up, and one local residend told how he returned from work to find his car floating in the car-park behind his house. 

8:21am

Sally Burns, neighbourhoods director at City of York Council, says it is believed the Ouse may now have peaked, at just over five metres above normal levels for this time of year.

8:20am

Council staff are working at the moment to repair sandbag defences at Peckitt Street, near Tower Street. They were reportedly breached overnight.

Clifford's Tower this morning. Pic: D wilkinson

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8:12am

Good morning on another day of disruption and flooding across York and North Yorkshire. We have now closed yesterday's live story - follow this one throughout today for rolling updates.