Scarborough homes and businesses were clearing up today after flash floods swept through the town.

Torrential rain caused drains to overflow and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service pumped out six feet of water from some properties. Several roads, including Marine Drive, were still closed today.

Police and fire personnel were inundated with calls for help from pubs, amusement arcades and cafes along the Foreshore and around the South Cliff and Old Town areas.

Many businesses had stocked up for the Bank Holiday weekend and are now counting the cost after their freezers and cellars were flooded out.

Kathy Duffy, landlady of the Newcastle Packet on the sea-front, was met by the rising tide as she about the leave the pub for a charity night at 7.45pm.

"My staff shouted to me that there was water coming in under the back door," said Mrs Duffy.

"This is the third time we've had the problem in the 17 years. My main worry is that the pub won't have dried out in time for the Bank Holiday weekend, but I've had the heating on all night."

"We called in the fire brigade and two of my regulars helped me to lift the manhole cover in the yard, but the water started to come up through the toilets and when I went in to the cellar the water was over my knees.

"All the new glasses we had bought in for the Bank Holiday were floating about.

"The people I feel most sorry for are the caf owners.

"I can clean up my cellar, but they have lost all the food they bought in for the Bank Holiday and this is the last one of the year that they are going to miss out on."

East Yorkshire was also badly hit by the flooding with numerous reports of standing water on rural roads and Humberside Fire Service said they were called out to flooding incidents in Bridlington and Hull.

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