A clean-up operation is under way today after a weekend of extreme weather saw villages in England cut off by flash floods.
Flash floods in Yorkshire cut off villages and washed away bridges yesterday. The clean-up operation is under way today
The downpour over the north Yorkshire moors washed away roads, caused landslides and shut off villages, prompting a rescue operation that saw a motorist plucked from the roof of her car and another two people from a gate.
Police said the A170 and the B1257 roads remained closed and a cracked bridge into Helmsley was looking "perilous".
The floodwaters peaked at 1.37am but the water was "going down satisfactorily".
A bridge in Hawnby, in north Yorkshire, was also washed away by the floods. One witness said the situation in the town was "horrendous" last night.
He said: "It's left a right mess. It's so lucky that no one has been killed. It all happened so quickly. . . . it just got darker during the afternoon before it all came down."
An air sea rescue helicopter from RAF Leconfield was brought in to pluck a number of people to safety in the aftermath of the storm, which lashed the area from 5pm.
One elderly woman was winched from the village of Hawnby, which was cut off, after suffering a suspected heart attack.
While torrential rainstorms hit parts of the north, the south of England was sweltering in the hottest weather so far this year. Temperatures in London soared to a countrywide high of 33 degrees.