York's Foss Barrier closed as flood warnings issued for River Ouse - car partly submerged

Warnings, meaning flooding is expected, have been issued for the Ouse at York riverside properties, at St George`s Field and Queen`s Staith, and at Naburn Lock, south of York, with the recent heavy rain causing water levels to rise.

The Ouse has already caused flooding in the King's Staith and Queen's Staith areas.

A parked car on Queen's Staith has been partly submerged by the river's rising levels.

The River Ouse has caused flooding in the King's Staith and Queen's Staith areas

The Foss Barrier was closed at about 11pm yesterday.

This morning (September 30), the Environment Agency (EA) said river levels on the Ouse were still rising and flooding of low lying land and roads is expected to continue throughout today.

It added that the Ouse is expected to peak at around 3.5 metres at the York Viking Recorder this evening, while the river level at Naburn could reach up to 2.9 metres.

The EA said the areas most at risk are riverside properties and footpaths in York, and the Naburn Lock area.

It also said it is closely monitoring the situation and considering closing the flood gates alongside the Ouse in York. 

Its incident response staff are liaising with emergency services. 

The EA is urging people to plan walking, cycling or driving routes to avoid low lying roads and footpaths near the Ouse. 

Meanwhile, a flood warning is in place for the River Ure at Roecliffe Caravan Park, near Boroughbridge.

There are also a number of less severe flood alerts in force in the area surrounding York. Alerts mean flooding is possible.

The Met Office issued a yellow warning for heavy rain from 3pm today, and this initially covered York and North Yorkshire. However, the warning no longer covers this region.

The levels of the Ouse have risen after recent heavy rain