Knaresborough residents misery as flash floods engulf streets and houses

Last night’s shocking downpour of rain and hailstones saw residential streets in the town hit by several inches of water with homes flooded.

So bad was the sudden storm early evening on Bank Holiday Monday, the River Nidd burst its banks near the World’s End pub and Mother Shipton’s with water rising onto the Low Bridge itself as cars tried to make their way through.

Although The Met Office had issued a yellow weather warning for much of Northern England earlier in the day, the arrival of a thunderstorm of that scale at approximately 5pm came as a surprise to many.

North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service reported that calls were received from 6pm onwards of of flooding in the area of Knaresborough and nearby.

Fire appliances from Knaresborough, Harrogate, Tadcaster and Acomb responded and assisted various premises affected by flooding, by pumping water away when they could, cleaning up work and transporting vulnerable people to places of safety.

North Yorkshire council and local council resources also assisting with the aftermath, together with North Yorkshire Police.

Today, LNER issued a warning to rail passengers, posting: “Due to heavy rain flooding the railway between Harrogate and Leeds, services are subject to delays when passing in the surrounding areas.”

On top of today’s strike action by trade unions, yesterday’s flooding caused damage at Horsforth railway station and the public are being advised to check before they travel.