But the county is not yet in the clear, with property and roads at risk from overflowing rivers and watercourses, and parts of the rail network still under water.

Fire crews and police today rescued a group of elderly bus passengers trapped in flood water on a narrow road in West Yorkshire.

The alarm was raised when their double-decker bus became trapped in 2ft of water after dykes burst near Breighton.

A spokeswoman for Humberside Police said no-one was injured and fire crews used a boat to take around nine passengers to safety.

The region bore the brunt of Monday's torrential downpours with dozens evacuated from their homes and businesses as river levels rose, leading the Environment Agency to issue 13 severe flood warnings for the county.

Residents in the worst hit areas struggled to keep rising floodwater at bay by sandbagging doorways and footpaths.

Today, fears water levels could reach last summer's height appear to be receding, with colder weather forecast.

But residents near Bradford are still facing an anxious wait with concerns a wall next to a flooded pond at Allerton may collapse, flooding and even demolishing nearby properties.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said three detached houses and two blocks of flats have been evacuated downstream in Stony Lane.

Overnight, 20 properties at Stainforth, near Doncaster, were evacuated as a precaution.

Levels at Ea Beck near Toll Bar, scene of devastating floods last summer, are falling but officers are continuing to monitor the situation.

A severe flood warning for Burstwick Drain at Hedon, east of Hull has been downgraded after the passing of the high tide. Eight pumps were running overnight in an operation which has been going on since last week to protect properties from flooding.

River levels are also dropping on the Calder and Aire. The river level at Leeds city centre reached a height that was 0.25 metres below that of summer 2007.

The River Ouse in York will be at its highest level later Wednesday.

Residents evacuated from their homes in Armitage Bridge near Huddersfield, will today be surveying the damage caused by the deluge.

Clare Oldfield had been woken by a neighbour on Monday to say water was surrounding the house.

"The door was pushing open," she said. "We were stuffing towels under the door to stop the water. The firemen have been brilliant – they got here with sandbags. The cellar is full of water, which has ruined our wine collection, but it could have been much worse. The water came in the kitchen and was about two inches deep. It was a lucky escape, thanks to the fire brigade."

In Silsden, near Keighley, 100 people were evacuated from a factory. Worker Adrian McSharry said: "There was no panic, there was about four feet of water. We came to the pub and had a cup of tea and did a roll call."

Twenty homes were evacuated as water levels continued to rise in Springbank Crescent off Leeds Road, Huddersfield, with residents taken to a sports centre. In Elland, near Halifax, 60 children were evacuated and taken to a local fire station.

Severe flood warnings were also in place in central Leeds on Monday night, causing widespread chaos for commuters. Today train services from the city's station are still affected.

Further north, there were serious concerns for around 100 homes in Thirsk as water levels in Cod Beck rose on Monday. North Yorkshire may suffer further high water levels once significant snow falls in the higher areas melt.

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