Police across North Yorkshire have been keeping people safe as gale force winds and heavy rain caused incidents throughout the county today.
Staff in the Force Control Room have taken a high number of calls due to Storm Ciara, including flooded roads, trapped motorists, fallen trees, escaped livestock and even a shed that had blown onto a road and blocked it.
Some of the reports received by North Yorkshire Police since midnight include:
- Flooding the A658 between Huby and Harrogate, which was passable but had a lot on standing water on it
- A fallen tree blocking the road in Great Barugh in Ryedale
- A cow that had wandered onto the A59 near Harrogate, probably after fencing was damaged. It was unharmed and happily grazing on the grass verge when police were notified
- A coastal flood warning due to high tides and large waves on Scarborough Foreshore and Sandside
- Several false alarms across the county, which were likely to have been activated by high winds or debris
- One lane of the A64 westbound near Scampston blocked by a fallen tree
- A shed that had blown across Station Avenue in Filey, blocking the road
- Local roads around Swinney Beck, Masham, affected by flooding, including Leyburn Road. Police were monitoring the situation and officers on the ground managed traffic flow
- River Ribble flooding in Settle, affecting nearby roads
- A vehicle stuck in water on Keighley Road, Skipton. The driver managed to get out of the vehicle before officers arrived
- A tree that had blown down and was laying across Malsis Road, Glusburn, near Skipton
- Dam Lane was blocked in Saxton near Selby after a tree blew over
- A vehicle stuck on the route between Carelton and Skipton after the road became flooded
- Standing water on the A64 near Fulford, which slowed drivers down but remained passable
- A tree that had blown over and was blocking a rural road near Fewston, near Harrogate
- Some callers used the what3words app, which helps emergency services find your location by generating three words that match a map reference.
A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said:
No corner of the county has escaped today’s bad weather, and our Force Control Room and frontline officers have dealt with a large range and high volume of weather-related incidents.
We’re working closely with other organisations including North Yorkshire’s Highways team to keep routes as clear as possible and divert motorists if absolutely necessary.
If you see a diversion, remember it’s there for your safety.
If a road is flooded or closed, please don’t be tempted to chance it – it won’t save you any time and it could be a costly mistake.
