York, the city of north England flooding Engineers have been examining how to restore power to the Foss barrier building while troops spent Sunday stacking sandbags, until they ran out, forcing the council to beg neighbouring authorities for help.
Thousands of homes in northern England have been left without power, with almost 6,000 hoping to be reconnected today.
One of the flooded substations was in Rochdale, which five years ago had its flood defences given a £470,000 upgrade to protect power supplies against a “1-in-200-year” flood.
Teams from insurance companies have been on the ground in the affected areas. Customers have been advised to get their claims started as soon as possible and to take photos of damaged items.
Aviva’s Rob Townend said: “Any damage caused to property and belongings will be covered and if customers have to move out of their home, because it is uninhabitable, the cost of alternative accommodation is also paid for – and we can make arrangements for pets, too.”
The floods also affected transport links in the North. Some 16 road closures were in effect in Cumbria, while Northern Rail urged passengers not to travel in Cumbria, East Lancashire and West Yorkshire unless their journey is “absolutely necessary”.
Many places have seen record river levels over the past 24 hours, including the River Aire in Leeds, and the rivers Calder and Ribble, affecting places such as Whalley, Hebden Bridge and Ribchester.
West Yorkshire Police declared a major incident after responding to what it said was the “worst flooding in 70 years” in the area.
Judith Blake, the leader of Leeds City Council, said the authority had warned the Government that flooding in Leeds was a “catastrophe waiting to happen”.
She called for “significant investment” in additional flood defences for the city to prevent future flooding.
News of the flooding has even reached space, where Major Tim Peake passed over the UK on Sunday in the International Space Station.
He tweeted: “Passed over UK today – thoughts are with all those affected by flooding in northern England.”