As it happened – Flooding updates for York and North Yorkshire, 21 January 2021

The latest update from the Environment Agency at 5.15pm puts the River Ouse in York city centre at 4.55m.

It is forecasting the river will peak at 4.73m at 5.45am tomorrow (Friday, 22 January). That’s well above the level where some flooding in properties is possible.

But it is also well short of the 5.2m-5.4m which would cause serious problems.

Meanwhile, an update of the River Foss issued at 5.15pm shows the latest level at 2.73m.

This is the floodwater which is now across Huntington Road.

It’s under the bridge close to Ramsay Close.

Cars can get through at the moment with care. The Foss is thought to be at or near its peak, so it’s hoped that the conditions won’t deteriorate further.

We have just come out of a media briefing organised by City of York Council on the latest position on the floods.

We’ll post a full story shortly, but here are some of the main points.

River Foss

• CYC were alerted at 5.21am to the potential of properties flooding in the upper Foss basin
• it is the intensity of the water flow, particularly around Strensall, that has caused the flash flooding there
• the lower Foss basin is not affected and the Foss Barrier is working well
• the Foss has reached 2.67m – around about the peak of what is being predicted this time
• that affects about 100 properties in the Strensall to Yearsley Baths area, “but that’s principally gardens and outlying buildings with minimal levels of flooding expected within properties”
• no in-property flooding has been reported as yet
• “we don’t expect any further impacts on the Foss because that rainfall in the upper basin has obviously moved on”.

River Ouse

• the Environment Agency expects the Ouse in York to peak at 4.76m at 3am tomorrow (Friday)
• “that is within the flood plan for York in terms of our own defences of properties, so we’re not anticipating wide-scale flooding of properties at that level”
• but it does require the temporary defences now in place
• flooding at this level is set to affect just a handful of properties such as those at King’s Staith
• if it went above 4.8 or 4.9m that would affect Peckitt Street
• they are hopeful that the A19 near Germany Beck, Fulford, won’t be flooded
• only when the Ouse gets “around about the 5.2 to 5.4 level, that’s when we become very concerned about the numbers [of flooded properties] jumping up exponentially”.

Hotels are on standby to take people impacted by the Foss flooding – but that evacuation plan is unlikely to be needed.

There was great praise for the City of York Council teams who have done all the defence work in Covid secure bubbles.

There are two flood warnings in Malton.

River Derwent at Old Malton – 6.57am update: “The current level of the River Derwent at Malton is 4.64m and will remain high. The level on the River Rye at Howe Bridge is 4.99m and will continue to rise slowly on Thursday. Pumps are continuing to operate in the area to manage groundwater and surface water.”

Mill Beck at Welham Road, Norton – 1.01am update: “Flooding of property, roads, and farmland is expected on Thursday morning. Areas most at risk are properties on Welham Road, Norton.”

The County Bridge has been closed, along with Norton Road. These photographs were taken this morning by YorkMix Radio presenter Ryan Swain.

The River Foss was forecast to hits its peak about now. At 8am the river level York Castle Mills Sluices had hit 7.81m which is just at the point when it will overtop.

And at Huntington it was 2.62m, above the 2.2m level where minor flooding is possible.

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City of York Council are going house to house to let property owners know the situation. They expect most of any flooding will be limited to outhouses and gardens, but “there may be water entering some properties in the Strensall to Yearsley Baths area and the low point near the iron bridge on Huntington Road”.

This is the list of roads hit by flooding, from City of York Council.

Note: Anticipated times indicated – times will be affected by rate of rise of river level

Roads

• Clementhorpe – closed at Terry Avenue junction.
• Main Street Nether Poppleton – Closed
• Naburn Lane – Closed
• Fordlands Rd – Closed. A scaffold walk way is being put in place on the left hand side of the road entering Fordlands Road.
• Skeldergate – Closed – Bus services will be diverted via Tower Street
• Knavesmire Rd – Closed
• Bishopthorpe Rd near Crematorium – one lane closed, route passable – observe traffic management
• A19 Fulford – Defences in place.
• Tower Street – Defences in place

Cycle/Pedestrian Routes

• Riverside paths across city /Terry Avenue – Closed
• Millennium bridge (pedestrians/cyclists) – Closed
• City Mills bridge (access to City Mills Sheltered housing on Skeldergate) in place.

People should not drive, cycle or walk through flood water – it can contain hidden obstacles and health hazards. Residents are advised to check their route before travelling, if it is prone to flooding.

There is flooding expected from the River Foss today. But ‘no evacuation is necessary’ at the moment.

This from City of York Council: “The Environment Agency has issued a flood warning on the River Foss with river levels predicated to peak at 2.6m in the next few hours.

“The Foss barrier is working as designed. The issue is heavy rain in the upper basin is causing upper river levels to rise.

“We anticipate less than 95 properties will be impacted mostly in gardens and outbuildings, but there may be water entering some properties in the Strensall to Yearsley Baths area and the low point near the iron bridge on Huntington Road.

“The advice at this time is evacuation is not necessary and property level defences should be deployed. Council officers are door knocking at properties affected and will be deploying sandbags where needed.”

Here are all the flood warnings around the county this morning.

• Bishop Monkton Beck at Bishop Monkton
• Bramham Beck at Bramham
• Brompton Beck at North of Station Road in Brompton
• Cod Beck at Thirsk – riverside properties
• Collingham Beck at Collingham
• Confluence of Sun Beck and Turker Beck at Northallerton
• Hey Brook at Rochdale, properties adjacent to the watercourse
• Low lying properties in the Upper Hull catchment
• Mill Beck at Welham Road, Norton
• River Aire at Allerton Ings, Barnsdale Road and Properties
• River Aire at Castleford Lock Lane
• River Aire at Cross Hills including the Airedale Trading Park
• River Aire at Skipton Road, Kildwick
• River Aire at Snaygill Industrial Estate and Cononley Business Park
• River Aire at West Haddlesey, Chapel Haddlesey and East Haddlesey
• River Calder at Brearley and Luddenden Foot
• River Calder at Horbury – The Strands
• River Calder at Methley and Mickletown
• River Calder at Stanley
• River Calder at Whitwood Mere
• River Derwent at Buttercrambe Mill
• River Derwent at Old Malton
• River Derwent at Stamford Bridge – The Weir Caravan Park and Kexby Bridge
• River Esk at Egton Bridge
• River Esk at Lealholm
• River Esk from Briggswath to Ruswarp
• River Foss downstream of Yearsley Baths – riverside properties
• River Foss upstream of Yearsley Baths
• River Foss upstream of Yearsley Baths to Strensall – riverside properties only
• River Irwell at Irwell Vale
• River Irwell at Rawtenstall
• River Irwell at Strongstry and Chatterton
• River Nidd at Hunsingore
• River Nidd at Knaresborough Caravan Parks and Goldsborough Mill Farm
• River Nidd at Low Laithe
• River Ouse at Acaster Malbis
• River Ouse at Acaster Selby
• River Ouse at Bishopthorpe
• River Ouse at Linton Lock
• River Ouse at Naburn Lock
• River Ouse at York – Clifton
• River Ouse at York – Fulford and Fordlands Road
• River Ouse at York – riverside properties
• River Ouse at York – Skeldergate and Tower Street
• River Ouse at York – St George’s Field and Queen’s Staith
• River Roch at Littleborough
• River Roch in Rochdale
• River Seven at Great Barugh
• River Seven at Marton
• River Seven at Normanby
• River Seven at Sinnington
• River Swale at Helperby
• River Swale at Howe village and by Skipton Bridge
• River Swale at Kirby Wiske
• River Swale at Myton on Swale
• River Swale at Thornton Bridge
• River Swale at Topcliffe
• River Ure at Aldwark Bridge to Cuddy Shaw
• River Ure at Milby Island
• River Ure at Roecliffe Caravan Park
• Sun Beck at Northallerton
• Swinney Beck at Masham
• Walsden Water at Walsden
• Whitewell Brook at Piercy and Newchurch from Ashworth Road to Wood Lea Road
• Willow Beck at Northallerton

The River Ouse in central York is now at 4.33m.

The warning says: “We expect the river Ouse to peak at 4.4 to 4.8m on Thursday night. The Foss Barrier is in operation and flood gates are closed. Please be aware that persistent and heavy rain is forecast until this morning Thursday.”

In the last floods in February 2020 the Ouse peaked at 4.4m – the highest level since the Boxing Day flooding in 2015.