Land Rover victim named as Yorkshire put on flood alert

The body of Vanessa Robson, from Beverley, East Yorkshire, was recovered after her vehicle was found submerged under a bridge at Hartoft, on the North York Moors, at lunchtime yesterday.

It is thought Ms Robson was attempting to cross a ford when her Land Rover was pushed into Hartoft Beck, which was raging after torrential rain storms in the area.

Ms Robson's body was recovered after a four hour search operation in the stream by divers, firefighters and an RAF helicopter.

It is not thought anyone else was in the vehicle.

The torrential rain in the North East saw flash flooding in many areas yesterday evening, including in the Scarborough, York, Selby and Malton areas.

Cleveland Police closed the Leven Bank Bridge, in Yarm, which carries the A1044 over the River Leven, after cracks appeared, possible caused by the deluge.

Forecasters are expecting tomorrow to bring fresh storms, especially in the east and south.

This afternoon, the Environment Agency had three flood warnings in force - on the upper River Hull in East Yorkshire, part of the River Ouse, in North Yorkshire, and part of the River Nene to the east of Peterborough.

But the agency said a further 59 floods watches were in place, covering a much wider area of England.

Weather forecasters say a broad band of heavy rain accompanied by strong winds will sweep across southern England starting overnight and into tomorrow, pushing northwards through the day.

The Met Office issued a warning of severe or extreme weather for south-east England for tomorrow morning. It said: "Heavy and persistent rain will spread northwards across parts of southern England, giving totals of 20 to 35 mm, falling on already saturated ground.

"The public are advised to take extra care and refer to the latest Environment Agency, Floodline, and Flood Warnings in force and refer to the Highways Agency for further advice on traffic disruption on motorways and trunk roads."

Steve Ellison, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "It looks like there's going to be some pretty high rainfall, especially in the South and the East. There will also be some pretty strong winds."

He said rainfall totals in the South East could top 30mm in some areas.

The Environment Agency said around 50 to 75mm of rain has already fallen in the southern region so far this week and the sodden ground across Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight could lead to potential flooding from rivers.

It said the strong winds expected to accompany the heavy rain and high tides forecast for next week could also increase the risk of flooding along the region's coastline.

Andrew Gilham, flood and coastal risk manager for the Environment Agency's Southern Region, said: "We've had a lot of rain during this week and as a result the ground is now saturated and river levels have risen. Our staff are out in force working tirelessly to reduce any possible risk of flooding across the region.

"Now is an ideal time for anyone living in an area vulnerable to flooding to think about the steps they can take to protect their properties. By taking simple precautions we can limit the damage a flood can leave behind.

"We are receiving regular detailed forecasts from the Met Office, continuously monitoring river levels and have had officers out throughout the week checking river levels and clearing blockages to prepare for the rainfall."