ROWNTREE Park is closed today and York is on flood alert as rain from yesterday’s torrential downpour heads down the River Ouse and its tributaries.

Most of the rain that drenched north-west England fell on the Lancashire side of the Pennines, but enough fell on the Yorkshire side for the Environment Agency to put out a flood warning for riverside paths, low-lying land including Rowntree Park and Naburn, Kings Staithe and Queens Staithe in the city centre and Bishopthorpe Marina. The River Nidd is also expected to flood in the Cattal area.

City of York Council chief executive Kersten England announced the closure of Rowntree Park via Twitter at lunchtime today.

The level of the River Ouse in the city centre was 2.6 metres or 8 ft 6 ins at midday today and is expected to peak between 3.5 and 3.7 metres (11 ft 6 ins to 12 ft 2 ins) overnight.