West Yorkshire homes and businesses flooded by Storm Ciara

Homes and businesses in West Yorkshire have been flooded as Storm Ciara brought heavy rain.

West Yorkshire Police said people were "putting their lives at risk" by going outside to take photos.

"We cannot stress enough, please stay indoors if you have no reason to go outside," the force tweeted.

"Some riverbanks are ready to burst and people are putting their own lives at risk to take pictures and videos."

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Peter McNerney, BBC Look North

The flood sirens issue their ominous warning. The Calder Valley has faced it all before, back on Boxing Day 2015, and now Storm Ciara has left its devastating mark; torrential rain causing torrents of floodwater to sweep through the streets, cars submerged, businesses badly damaged, misery for residents.

In Luddendenfoot they were battling the storm with brushes and pulling up blocked drain covers.

The road was closed to stop traffic spraying the water back towards homes and businesses.

In Mytholmroyd, the flood defence work is due to finish this summer. One local councillor told the BBC this couldn't go on, fearing Mytholmroyd would become "a ghost town".

Moori Rostami, who owns Weavers wine bar and restaurant near the River Calder at Luddendenfoot in Halifax, said he could not open for business because of the flooding.

"They're not looking after the rivers," Mr Rostami said.

"In the old days they used to dredge them, clean them all. Now they're working [on flood defences] up river in Hebden Bridge and Todmorden but it just pushes it all down here.

"They need to do something all the way down. All it's doing is pushing the water down here."

Faye Gostelow said she had been stuck upstairs in her terraced house by the River Calder since 08:00 GMT, with 2-3ft (0.6-0.9m) of water downstairs.

"We were flooded like this in 2015 and that's why we got a special flood door fitted, but the water still got through," she said.

West Yorkshire Fire Service said firefighters were very busy tackling floods in the Calder Valley, Kirklees and Bradford. People should only call 999 in an emergency

Todmorden, Sowerby Bridge, Otley and Mytholmroyd have been particularly badly hit, and in North Yorkshire the Environment Agency had issued a red "danger to life" for the River Nidd at Pateley Bridge, which was later downgraded.

Several flights to and from Leeds Bradford Airport have been cancelled or delayed.

Northern Powergrid said since midnight severe gales and heavy rain had caused unexpected power cuts for around 45,500 people, mainly in West and South Yorkshire, and North Lincolnshire.

Power has now been restored to more than half of those affected, but the storm continues to affect properties.

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