Flood warning to motorists as road near York is underwater

Drivers have been urged to heed warning signs after a North Yorkshire road flooded this evening.

It comes as the latest flood warnings suggest that the Ouse in York could peak at more than 4m later this week – one metre higher than the level when water could inundate riverside properties.

Station Manager Bob Hoskins of the fire service tweeted tonight that the B1223 is now underwater.

He said: “Water levels are high around York. Some roads are flooded.

“Don’t drive past road closed signs. The fire service is a rescue service not a recovery service.”

The B1223 at Ryther runs close to the River Wharfe.

The warning comes as there are two current flood warnings near York, ahead of Storm Christoph which is due to bring heavy rainfall tomorrow through to Thursday.

River Ouse at York – riverside properties: the warning, last updated at 7.25pm tonight (Monday), says: “We expect levels to rise significantly. Early forecast indications for the River Ouse in York to be around 3.5m late Tuesday and current forecasts indicate potential levels over 4m later this week.”

River Ouse at Naburn Lock: the warning says: “We expect levels to rise significantly. Please avoid using low lying footpaths near local watercourses and do not drive through flood water.”

Catherine Wright, acting executive director for flood and coastal risk management at the Environment Agency, said: “We had seen a lot of wet weather, last winter was particularly wet, and we are expecting some big rainfall totals on this weather.

“But the particular issue is that the rain will be falling for some considerable time on very wet ground and that makes the situation very volatile and it’s very important that people prepare for that weather.”