FLOOD warnings were set to be issued today at York and Naburn as high water levels were reported across the region's rivers and streams.

But a spokesman for the Environment Agency urged people not to panic, saying it expected levels to drop considerably over the weekend.

A Flood Watch was issued today for rivers and streams in the Vale of York from Catterick to Cawood, which means "flooding is possible".

And the River Wharfe at Tadcaster peaked at a dangerously high level, with some water over-spilling into nearby flood plains.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: "This is normal for this time of year, but obviously everyone is a lot more jittery because of what happened last November.

"We may issue a flood warning for York and Naburn but we don't expect it to be in place for more than a few hours as no more rain is forecast over the weekend.

"It's nothing to worry about at the moment."

The Environment Agency's Floodline can be contacted on 0845 988 1188.

28/09/01

Updated: 09:55 Wednesday, October 10, 2001