North Yorkshire roads flooded and drivers rescued after heavy rain

Drivers were rescued and a road was left damaged after several North Yorkshire routes became impassable due to heavy rain.

The A684 in Appersett, near Hawes, Richmondshire, was left flooded during wet weather throughout Tuesday.

Two stranded motorists were helped in the late afternoon and early evening.

Video footage of the B6255 between Gearstones and Hawes shows a section of wall next to the road washed away near the Lanacar Lane junction.

Hull Pot, a huge Yorkshire Dales pothole near Pen-y-Ghent, was filled with water on Tuesday in a rare sight for walkers.

Visitors usually see a waterfall descending into the 300ft (91m) long pothole, which is about 60ft (18m) wide and 60ft (18m) deep, but video footage showed the hole looking more like a lake.

Brian Stallwood, who lives in Horton in Ribblesdale and regularly walks his dogs or goes fell running near Hull Pot, said he had only seen the hole completely full of water once before.

"Normally you can hear the thunder of the waterfall as you get close to it and I couldn't hear it - I figured it had to be a lake rather than a waterfall," the 66-year-old said.

"I suspect it does fill up after long periods of rain, maybe once or twice every two or three years, but you've got to be there to see it as it soon dies back, I just happened to be there at the right time."

Elsewhere, North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service said two crews were sent to Heslaker Lane near Skipton at 19:50 GMT on Tuesday to help three men who had ignored "road closed" signs.

Firefighters led the trio to safety after their vehicle became stranded in flood water.

Meanwhile, fire crews were called out to reports of a horse stranded in a flooded field - only for the figure to turn out to be a World War One memorial statue.

The silhouette of a soldier leading his horse stands on land owned by British Canoeing by the River Ure in Ripon.

North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service group manager Bob Hoskins tweeted: "We have attended reports of a horse stuck in flood water near Ripon.

"An officer trotted off to check out the situation and discovered a statue of a horse in the middle of the field.

"There was 'neigh' further assistance required on this occasion."

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