East Yorkshire flooding: Water threatens homes

Floodwater continues to threaten properties in parts of East Yorkshire where 78 homes and businesses have already flooded.

The Environment Agency has warned water levels will remain high and are likely to stay high for several days.

Emergency operations are continuing in Snaith and the nearby villages of East and West Cowick.

More people were evacuated overnight as water continued to pour off over-saturated fields.

Fields in the area form part of the River Aire washlands and under normal circumstances would hold vast quantities of water when the Aire is in flood.

They are now full to capacity and are overtopping.

Adam Tunningley, from the Environment Agency, said: "With the way the washlands are full at the moment and the River Aire is still high, although going down, it [water levels] will be remaining high for several days I'm afraid."

He said attention remained focused on the village of East Cowick and 22 pumps had been brought in to try to alleviate the pressure.

The East Riding of Yorkshire Council estimates 50 properties in East Cowick have flooded and believes 30 homes in West Cowick are at risk of flooding.

In Snaith 23 properties were flooded earlier in the week and many are still inaccessible.

Kevin and Catherine Lorryman's bungalow was one of those. It remains submerged with water up to roof level.

Mr Lorryman said seeing the property in this state was "heartbreaking".

"We are going to have to demolish I think," he said.

"We are just in a dream world at the moment and there are people all over this town exactly the same, it's a nightmare," Mrs Lorryman said.

Thousands of items including clothing, bedding and toiletries have been donated for those people who were forced to leave their homes and are being distributed at the sports hall in Snaith.

Further evacuations have been taking place for vulnerable people in East and nearby West Cowick, the East Riding of Yorkshire Council said.

It said the situation would be monitored as bad weather brought by Storm Jorge threatened further rainfall.

There are numerous road closures in the area due to flooding.

Humberside Police has asked people not to drive in the area as there is only one passable road through Snaith.

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