Caravans are evacuated in floods

Residents of a riverside caravan park at Knaresborough have been led to safety because of flooding.

Earlier a man and woman had to be pulled from a car covered by a landslip on the A59 at Blubberhouses, which is likely to be closed until Monday.

In Ripon, soldiers helped flooded homeowners on Borrage Road and elderly residents of a home were bussed out.

And the A1 route through the county was closed near Catterick because both carriageways were flooded.

'Covered in mud'

The landslip was just one of hundreds of incidents across the county caused by the bad weather, which also closed schools and tourist attractions.

The pair, who were not injured, had been travelling on the A59 between Blubberhouses and Bolton Abbey.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said the man and the woman were released by the fire service.

He said: "A black Mercedes estate car was covered in mud and rubble pretty much up to the roof.

"The driver and passenger of the car were trapped.

"Firefighters, paramedics and police attended the scene and the road was closed."

Several schools, including the 840-pupil Filey School, were shut on Friday because of the weather.

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, in Ripon, were also closed because of local flooding and to prevent people travelling to the attraction.

Police urged motorists to take extra care while driving in the heavy rain.