CARS were submerged, properties flooded and dozens of roads closed as the region battled natures latest deluge.

As Storm Dennis receded it left another trail of devastation following last week's battering by Storm Ciara.

More than 5,000 sandbags were distributed to help emergency services keep the water out of homes and businesses.

North Yorkshire was badly hit with bridges closed on the A684 at Morton on Swale between Northallerton and into Wensleydale at Wensley as well as at Masham and with roads impassable at Ripon, Dalton and Boroughbridge.

Trees blocked roads on the Ravensworth to Richmond road and on the Swainby to Cod Beck road near Osmotherley.

On the main A684 road going into Northallerton from the A19, Stokesley Road was impassable for a time as floodwater submerged the carriageway. The site is next to the new North Northallerton housing estate and residents took to social media to express their concern.

One householder said: “I can’t remember it ever flooding like this before, the fact that they have just built a huge new housing estate and concreted the fields you would think must have something to do with it.

“It just seems crazy that they’re building on the flood plains and grassland.”

The Tees, Swale, Ure and Ouse had been the main areas of concern with the Ouse in York peaking yesterday afternoon at around 4.4 metres above normal summer levels. That was lower than the Environment Agency had been predicting, fearing it could have risen to 4.8metres which would have caused greater problems.

York Labour MP Rachael Maskell is calling for urgent meetings with the environment minister to push for management of the rivers upstream, particularly in Swaledale, and on the rivers Nidd and Ure to slow the flows cascading downstream.

She said: “These extreme weather events are occurring more and more frequently, so it is important that funding is now focused on a sustainable resilience response. York doesn’t want higher and higher flood barriers, but better land management upstream.”

River levels are expected to stay high over the next two days, with more gales and rain predicted at the weekend.

Hambleton District Council has issued more than 1,000 sandbags, with more available for householders from depots at: Bedale Leisure Centre; Easingwold Galtres Centre, Northallerton, Darlington Road; Stokesley, Ellerbeck court; and Thirsk and Sowerby Leisure Centre.

The Local Resilience Forum, which is coordinating the emergency response, reiterated warnings to drivers to take heed of road closed signs and not drive through floodwater.

Chair Richard Flinton said: “If you drive into floodwater you could be putting your life and the lives of the emergency services at risk. Be extremely cautious, water on roads can be deep and fast moving, even if there is no road closed sign do not assume it’s safe to go through it .”