Flood warnings in place as region braced for rain

Thirteen flood warnings remain in place across Yorkshire after Storm Bert brought heavy rainfall to the region.

Flood sirens sounded in parts of Calderdale on Saturday, where 11 of the warnings are, with river levels around Todmorden exceeding 2.4m (7.9ft).

A number of roads, including the A646 Halifax Road, are closed due to floodwater, the Environment Agency said.

A spokesperson said river levels in Todmorden had receded to 1.09m (3.6ft) and though they could rise again over the course of the day, they were unlikely to reach Saturday's peak.

Speaking to the BBC on Saturday, the deputy leader of Calderdale Council, Scott Patient, said: "The roads are becoming quite full of water quite quickly meaning road closures in place, massive disruption to events that are happening and to businesses as well.

"We've seen it recede somewhat but we are very live to the fact that the rain is still there, the winds are still there and we have still got flood warnings in place."

Despite the disruption, the floods have not been as severe as those experienced by those living in Calderdale in 2015 and 2020.

Patient added: "We did expect Storm Bert to be challenging for us and we've seen the river react and some of the snow melt was an added complication in terms of not just the river reacting and rising but also how that affects surface water issues.

"We've seen some localised flooding but nothing to the extent that we've seen before with other named storms."

Most of the warnings, which indicate flooding is expected, cover Todmorden, Hebden Bridge and the surrounding area.

Another is in place further to the east along the River Calder near Sowerby Bridge and another at Horbury, near Wakefield.

In North Yorkshire, police have urged drivers to "consider whether you really need to make a journey" after three vehicles broke down trying to pass through deep standing water on the A65 near Settle on Saturday evening.

The force urged motorists not to drive through floodwater.

One flood warning is in place at Boroughbridge Camping and Caravanning Site, where the Environment Agency said levels of the River Ure had reached 1.70m (5.6ft) on Sunday morning, slightly above the point at which flooding is possible.

A further 12 flood alerts, which are less serious than flood warnings but still indicate flooding is possible, are dotted across North, West and South Yorkshire.

Storm Bert initially brought a thick blanket of snow to the region on Saturday morning, but as temperatures rose this gave way to an intense period of wet weather.

Rain is expected to continue to fall across West Yorkshire until this afternoon, before giving way to a dry spell later.

A Met Office's amber weather warning for snow and rain, which had been in place across Yorkshire on Saturday, has now ceased.

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