The Prince of Wales visited South Yorkshire just days ago when he saw for himself the devastation in the flood-hit village of Catcliffe near Rotherham.

Today Charles returned to South Yorkshire, visiting Toll Bar, near Doncaster, where the waters are yet to recede than a week after torrential downpours battered the county.

Visibly shocked by the damage, the Prince toured the worst affected areas of the village by dinghy.

The boat, rowed by a firefighter and steadied by his colleagues and contractors, slowly weaved along the flooded road for about 100 metres past the local primary school.

After about 15 minutes the water-borne party decided to make for dry land when fire officers became concerned about under-water obstructions.

The Prince then leapt out of the boat and paddled the last few yards through the murky water, despite wearing a double-breasted grey suit and highly polished brown shoes.

He then surveyed the eerily quiet village from dry land with local MP and Cabinet Office Minister Ed Miliband and Doncaster's elected mayor Martin Winter.

He also met some of the dozens of firefighters who have been assembled from 26 fire services across the UK for the massive pumping operation which is ongoing in Toll Bar.

Local postmaster John Jackson met the Prince at the water's edge and waded alongside the boat towards his flooded business.

Later he said: "We knew it was going to flood, but we thought it would be round our ankles. We never dreamed it would be four foot deep.

Afterwards, while meeting other residents, the Prince praised Mr Jackson and his family.

"They are an amazing couple at the post office," he said. "They said to me, 'We will get this place back again'."

Across Yorkshire, almost 40,000 people have been made homeless by the floods.