A main road in Ryedale has been closed to traffic due to flooding.

Norton Road, in Norton, Near Malton, has been closed following a request from North Yorkshire Police.

Highways will now close Norton Road between Asda and County Bridge. Norton Road will remain open for pedestrians to use.

The diversion for vehicles will be via Old Malton, A64, Scarborough Road Norton and vice versa.

Church Street in Norton is closed to traffic this morning (Monday) as river levels continue to rise.

The current level for the River Derwent through Malton and Norton is 4.63m and rising.

Mayor of Norton Cllr Di Keal said: "As mayor of Norton on Derwent and as a local resident directly affected by the current situation, I would like to thank everyone on the ground who are working so hard to monitor an extremely difficult situation and protect property and livelihoods.

“It is reassuring to see all the responsible organisations pulling together and doing their utmost to help. We asked for extra pumping capacity to be brought in and this has been delivered overnight.

“The road closures are making life difficult, but I would ask people to be patient while water levels in the Derwent are so high – public safety needs to be the first priority.

“I am also appealing to those responsible bodies – Yorkshire Water, the Environment Agency and North Yorkshire Council - to come together and put a permanent solution in place to try to stop repeated emergencies like the current one. Each incident costs them thousands to manage – money that would be better spent on permanent pumping than dealing with repeated crises.

“North Yorkshire Council took more than £10 million out of Ryedale when the district council was closed – it is now time that some of this money was re-invested in Norton, and Malton, along with Yorkshire Water and the Environment Agency, to create a long term solution.

“It is totally unacceptable and unnecessary for Norton residents to face this repeated nightmare of flooding and the town being brought to a standstill to the detriment of local business. Yorkshire Water already has plans drawn up to create a permanent pumping solution, we must now see these delivered.”

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: "River levels remain high around Malton and Low Marishes due to further persistent rainfall. Areas most at risk include low lying land around Low Marishes and Yedingham. River levels in Malton are expected to remain high in response to further rainfall expected into Monday. We continue to monitor levels closely. Avoid using low lying footpaths and any bridges near local watercourses and do not attempt to walk or drive through flood water."