A TORRENTIAL downpour today (Friday, August 8) has left York’s drainage systems unable to cope again, leaving roads flooded.

Heavy but relatively brief rain fell across York at about noon today, and many drains have been overwhelmed.

East Coast Mainline tweeted to its followers to take care when going in and out of York Station because of the wet weather conditions.

The Morrisons store in Acomb is also partly flooded but remains open, and in the Acomb and Holgate areas there large amount of standing water in several main roads.

A report to city leaders in 2012 said generations of neglect and underinvestment had left York's drains unable to cope with even minor flooding.

The report, on surface water problems, said it would cost £5m to bring the city's drains up to standard, but a separate strategy on flood management has now been postponed four times.

Opposition councillors say York's flooding problems have been exacerbated by cuts to gully-cleaning. In 2011 to 2012, the council carried out 39,000 cleans, but this fell to 20,664 in 2012 to 2013 and 2013 to 2014.