FLOOD warnings are in place tonight (Tuesday, December 23) across parts of North Yorkshire, including Wensleydale, with further rainfall expected, the Environment Agency has warned.

The River Ouse and the River Ure have been highlighted, around York, with some concerns over the Ure at Bainbridge and Kilgram in Wensleydale. There is also concern over the River Nidd, near Boroughbridge, but they say many waterways have been swollen by recent rainfall.

The agency has issued five flood alerts and two flood warnings across these areas and are calling on residents to be aware of potential problems. They said the Ouse at Naburn Lock is 3.74 metres higher than normal and rising steadily, in York City centre the Ouse is currently 2.95 metres above normal and is forecast to reach three metres, with some flooding in the Kings Staithe area.

On the upper Ure in Wensleydale, the level at Bainbridge was 1.3 metres and at Kilgram 2.5 metres above normal.

A spokesman said:”Further rainfall is forecast, and this could cause levels to rise again. It is too early to forecast further peak levels at this time, but we will update messages as further information is available. “

The record high for the Ouse in the city centre was 5.4 metres during the floods of 2,000. A flood alert for low lying areas of the Tees Valley, near Croft, was withdrawn on Tuesday morning, December 23, after the water subsided. The agency is urging anyone with concerns to phone the flood hotline on 0345 9881188 or go to their website environment-agency.gov.uk