Harrogate police

Storm Ciara: Police respond to floods, fallen trees, stuck cars, escaped cows and a shed in the road

9 February 2020

Police across North Yorkshire have been keeping people safe as gale force winds and heavy rain caused incidents throughout the county today.

Staff in the Force Control Room have taken a high number of calls due to Storm Ciara, including flooded roads, trapped motorists, fallen trees, escaped livestock and even a shed that had blown onto a road and blocked it.

Some of the reports received by North Yorkshire Police since midnight include:

  • Flooding the A658 between Huby and Harrogate, which was passable but had a lot on standing water on it
  • A fallen tree blocking the road in Great Barugh in Ryedale
  • A cow that had wandered onto the A59 near Harrogate, probably after fencing was damaged. It was unharmed and happily grazing on the grass verge when police were notified
  • A coastal flood warning due to high tides and large waves on Scarborough Foreshore and Sandside
  • Several false alarms across the county, which were likely to have been activated by high winds or debris
  • One lane of the A64 westbound near Scampston blocked by a fallen tree
  • A shed that had blown across Station Avenue in Filey, blocking the road
  • Local roads around Swinney Beck, Masham, affected by flooding, including Leyburn Road. Police were monitoring the situation and officers on the ground managed traffic flow
  • River Ribble flooding in Settle, affecting nearby roads
  • A vehicle stuck in water on Keighley Road, Skipton. The driver managed to get out of the vehicle before officers arrived
  • A tree that had blown down and was laying across Malsis Road, Glusburn, near Skipton
  • Dam Lane was blocked in Saxton near Selby after a tree blew over
  • A vehicle stuck on the route between Carelton and Skipton after the road became flooded
  • Standing water on the A64 near Fulford, which slowed drivers down but remained passable
  • A tree that had blown over and was blocking a rural road near Fewston, near Harrogate
  • Some callers used the what3words app, which helps emergency services find your location by generating three words that match a map reference.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said:

No corner of the county has escaped today’s bad weather, and our Force Control Room and frontline officers have dealt with a large range and high volume of weather-related incidents.

We’re working closely with other organisations including North Yorkshire’s Highways team to keep routes as clear as possible and divert motorists if absolutely necessary.

If you see a diversion, remember it’s there for your safety.

If a road is flooded or closed, please don’t be tempted to chance it – it won’t save you any time and it could be a costly mistake.

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