Storm Ciara has savaged towns in Yorkshire, drenching homes, supermarkets and restaurants – despite multimillion pound defences built in the wake of the devastating Boxing Day floods of 2015.
Towns in the Pennines and Yorkshire Dales that have endured years of flooding are again under water after almost three inches of rain fell in the region on Sunday.
Councils have spent millions on anti-flooding infrastructure after the 2015 deluge left 2,000 homes and 400 businesses flooded across Yorkshire.
But flood defences throughout the Calder Valley lay in tatters after the storm, with residents and business hitting out at authorities for failing to protect them.
There are still 385 flood warnings and alerts in place across Britain as those in Yorkshire try to prevent long-lasting damages to their homes and workplaces.
The West Yorkshire towns of Tormorden, Mytholmroyd, Hebden and Sowerby Bridge are among the worst hit, with the streets transformed into canals, cars submerged and shops floors covered in muddy floodwater.
The Sainsbury’s supermarket in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire is pictured covered in rainwater, with stock floating own the aisles this morning
West Yorkshire residents and business owners have hit out at authorities after flood defences (pictured in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire) built over the past five years after the devastating Boxing Day floods of 2015 lay in tatters
The River Ouse in York has broken its banks after heavy overnight rainfall from Storm Ciara, a flood warning remains in place with the river level expected to rise further
A Sainsbury’s supermarket in Hebden Bridge was pictured with stock floating in rainwater along the aisles, with a chemist in nearby Sowerby Bridge a similar sight.
Remzi Samsa the owner of Rendezvous Bistro in Hebden Bridge was forced to close, while street sweepers descended on the high street in a bid to clear the roads of water.
In York, the River Ouse has burst its banks, submerging streets and cars, while blustering gales have brought down trees.
Flooding affected large sections of the River Calder and River Aire in West Yorkshire. Further downstream, the main bridge at Elland has been closed for structural assessments after a large shipping container hit it and lodged underneath.
Train services have been suspended on the Transpennine Express between York and Scarborough due to a fallen tree on the line.
Yesterday river levels across the region peaked just below the record levels of the 2015 Boxing Day floods.
More than £30 million has been spent on flood defences in Mytholmroyd since the 2015 deluge, with part of the scheme completed in 2019 and the remainder due to be finished this summer.
At the height of the flooding in the village on Sunday, the floods wardens said on their Facebook page: ‘Please stay at home unless absolutely necessary. There are no passable roads through The Valley.
‘There are no shops open for you to buy things from. And if you think you have a vehicle that is capable of driving through flood water still don’t do it.’
A chemist in Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, is pictured drenched in muddy rainwater, with nappies and beauty products littering the floor
Remzi Samsa the owner of Rendezvous Bistro in Hebden Bridge was forced to close, while street sweepers descended on the high street in a bid to clear the roads of water
So much for flood defences! A hairdressers in Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, was forced to close after rainwater savaged the building
On Monday the wardens said: ‘It’s the morning after and possibly the first time people will get a chance to really take stock of the devastation.’
Martin Slater from the Environment Agency told BBC Radio Leeds: ‘As the rain that fell yesterday moves down the River Aire catchment and the River Calder it will be going through Leeds overnight and today.
‘So we do ask people to remain vigilant and stay away from rivers.’
Mr Slater said: ‘The catchments are really saturated and there’s not places for any future rain to go, so we do ask people to be really careful.
‘Some of our measuring devices recorded around about 100mm rain in a 12 to 18-hour period, so that’s a lot of rain falling in a very short period of time.
‘Enormous quantities have fallen in a short period of time so that turns those small becks into raging torrents in places.’
The main shopping street in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, is pictured yesterday looking more like a river after more than three inches of rain fell amid Storm Ciara
Shop owners in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, were forced to close and abandon their businesses after rainwater swept the streets
Street sweepers have descended on West Yorkshire this morning in a bid to clear the roads of water
Residents of towns in the Calder Valley, West Yorkshire, are furious after flood defences failed during Storm Ciara
The Government has spent millions on flood defence systems across Yorkshire over the past five years, but they failed to protect residents and their businesses over the weekend
The River Ouse burst its bank in York leaving streets along the river submerged in water and business owners stranded
A bus is pictured crossing the flooded River Ouse below in York this morning
Members of the public watch as floodwater sweeps through the streets of York after the River Ouse burst its banks