A motorist had to be rescued from the roof of their car on a day when floodwater brought chaos to roads in the Harrogate district.

Firefighters were called to Cattal at 7.32am this morning to help the person, who attempted to escape from their vehicle after driving through floodwater.

They ended up stuck on the roof and had to be saved by a crew from Acomb.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report said:

“Crews waded through the water to assist the person to dry land and to a safe location. Recovery for the vehicle had been arranged by the driver and advice was given.”

Shortly afterwards at 11.08am, firefighters from Ripon were called to Boroughbridge Road in Bishop Monkton after another vehicle got stranded in floodwater.

The incident report said:

“The driver had been rescued by a passing member of the public prior to fire service crews’ arrival. Crews waded through the water with level two swift water rescue equipment and cordoned the road off with cones and tape to temporally close the road. The incident was left with highways informed of the flooded road.”

Flood alerts remain

Richmond Fire Station, which also sent a crew to the Bishop Monkton incident, posted on social media this afternoon:

“It may be a nice day but water is still making its way down the river network from the dales. This is causing river levels to continue to rise. Consider other routes than driving through floodwater and putting a new car on your Christmas list!

“Please do not drive through floodwater! It puts yourself at risk and it requires a large response from the emergency services!”

Environment Agency flood alerts remain in place for the Lower River Ure and the Lower River Nidd.

The Ure alert says low-lying land and local roads around Masham, Boroughbridge, Aldborough and Bishop Monkton are most at risk.

The Nidd alert says. the Nidd and its tributaries, including Sand Beck, Sike Beck, Pool Beck and Great Gutter, are most at risk of flooding.

Boroughbridge crash

In a separate incident, Knaresborough firefighters were called to Braimber Lane in Boroughbridge at 10.23am today to reports of a vehicle that had driven into a hedge and had smoke coming from it.

The incident report said:

“The driver was out prior to their arrival and in the hands of the public. Crews used hydraulic spreaders to access the bonnet to confirm that the smoke was steam from the broken radiator. Small tools were then used to remove the battery and isolate the vehicle. An ambulance took the driver to the hospital and the incident was left with police to arrange recovery of the vehicle.