As Tony Blair promised more money for flood defences during a flying visit to York, the crisis deepened in the Selby area.

More than 50 families were evacuated from their homes at Kellington, Cawood narrowly avoided a mass evacuation and two schools closed today.

The Prime Minister was given a briefing on the disaster across North Yorkshire - including the possibility that 500 people would have to be evacuated from Cawood last night.

And Deputy Premier John Prescott was visiting the region today.

Officials had thought an evacuation of Cawood might be needed as the River Wharfe came within a single brick of the top of the flood walls. But the defences held as high tide came around midnight.

But 50 houses were evacuated at Kellington - while more than 2,000 pupils at Selby High and Brayton High enjoyed an extra day's holiday today.

Selby District Council sent two double-decker buses to Kellington and brought residents back to Selby Abbey Leisure Centre where they were given hot food and stayed the night on camp beds and in sleeping bags.

Other villagers opted to stay with friends or relatives. The evacuees returned home today with their properties still intact after the banks of the River Aire stood firm despite water levels rising by four feet in 24 hours.

An Environment Agency spokeswoman said that although no houses were flooded at Kellington, they put the village on red alert after up to 50 millimetres of rain fell on the North Yorkshire Moors, creating serious problems in the lower Aire washlands.

Kellington parish councillor Ray Mitchelson said he had moved out of his Ings Lane home to his daughter's house at just after midnight. He said the river bank had been sandbagged, and the police and Environment Agency had done a terrific job.

Agency staff also patrolled the River Aire banks at Hensall and Gowdall where the river burst its banks, using loudhailers to advise householders to evacuate.

But again no properties were flooded and just one man had to be evacuated from his home just outside Gowdall.

An agency spokeswoman said river levels were starting to drop this morning, and Hensall had had a narrow escape.

She said there would be a respite over the next few days, but rain forecast for Sunday evening and Monday would bring further problems.

Selby police officers are working overtime and their rest days as problems continue with water spilling over from flood plains, leading to road closures, including the A19 between Eggborough and Chapel Haddlesey.

Brayton High deputy headteacher Stephen Payne said they had cancelled lessons today because of problems of staff and pupils getting to and from school.

He said: "Five of our school buses come along the A19, which is closed,, and some of our staff live in flood-hit areas such as York and Cawood."

More than 1,100 pupils and 70 staff at Selby High also had the day off because of problems getting to school.

Paul Russell, landlord of the Jolly Sailor in Cawood, said: "I've been speaking to people who have lived in the village for 60 or 70 years and they've never known the water to come beyond the bridge like this.

"It's as bad as anyone here has ever known it."

Five hundred soldiers and airmen were today on standby across North Yorkshire, with more than 50 called in to bolster flood walls alongside the Ouse at North Street. They laid a foot-deep line of sandbags along the top of a 150 yard stretch of the wall as a "precautionary measure."

Motorists across North Yorkshire were warned not to make unnecessary journeys even on major roads by North Yorkshire Police as the rain kept pouring down and more and more roads became covered in standing and flood waters.

Some motorists were completely cut off when the A1 Northbound at Catterick closed with no suitable diversions.

A glimmer of hope emerged today as weather forecasters predicted Yorkshire would escape Sunday's storms.