Three frightened people and their pets were rescued by boat in Malton as floodwaters raged past their flats.

The rescue of two men, a woman, a cat, a dog and a parrot from Kings Mill Flats, just off Sheepfoot Hill, came as more than four thousand people at Howden, near Selby, were advised to evacuate their homes today after the River Derwent breached flood defences for the first time.

But river levels generally are falling and could fall further after weathermen predicted North Yorkshire will be one of the driest parts of the country this weekend after rain tonight.

The area is expected to enjoy sunny spells and a few showers over the weekend, escaping torrential rain which will hit the south.

Rescuers were called in by police at Malton at 7.30pm last night when river levels began to drop and water started moving more quickly around the flats.

Patrick Stanton, of British Civil Defence, the organisation called in to carry out the rescue, said conditions were perilous.

"The water was moving very quickly around the flats and we had to use a special boat which is able to cope with those sorts of conditions," he said.

"It was very cold and it was dark which made it even more dangerous. The people inside the flat were frightened and had every right to be.

"We call it "dancing water", and that means it's moving so fast it is impossible to control the boat and you just have to work and move with it," said Mr Stanton.

Malcolm Snowden, from Thames Valley Medical Rescue Unit, which also took part in the rescue, said the three people were very distressed.

"It was my job to make sure they were OK and weren't panicking; it all went very smoothly and we had them out of the flat within an hour," he said.

The River Derwent, which peaked at 5.028m above normal levels yesterday, had fallen to 4.91m by 6am today at Malton.

It has also fallen by more than seven inches at Stamford Bridge. The Ouse in York has also dropped further, but the Environment Agency says levels will drop slowly because the ground is so saturated. The breach in the Derwent defences occurred at Wressle Clough late last night.

A helicopter was despatched today to find out how it happened.

The Environment Agency issued severe flood warnings to Howden and nearby villages Breighton, Brind, Wressle and Knedlington They were advising residents to evacuate their homes as a precaution.

A spokesman for the agency said floodwaters were being held back by sandbags and had not yet reached Howden.

Insurance companies could be facing a bill of up to ten million pounds in the wake of North and East Yorkshire's flooding disaster.

But one leading insurer has reassured customers that they are unlikely to face major premium increases.

Vic Rance, spokesman for the Association of British Insurers, estimated that the combination of the severity of flooding and number of homes flooded means the repair bill could reach between £5m and £10m.

But the cost to homeowners themselves should not be massive if they have up-to-date insurance policies.