ROADS were left impassable and rivers became raging torrents as storms battered Teesdale at the weekend, with some locals in the upper dale describing the conditions as some of the worst for decades.
Storm Ciara blew in and dumped half a month’s rainfall over the dale in just 36 hours, flooding fields and leaving many low lying roads impassable to cars on Sunday.
River levels rose to their highest since 2011 at Middleton-in-Teesdale and High Force was in full spate with flood water covering almost all of the front face. Parts of the A66 were underwater and the eastbound carriageway was reduced to one lane at Bowes. The Abbey Bridge, near Barnard Castle, looked more like an aqueduct with drains unable to cope. Police closed the road and also told the public that floods near The Bowes Museum had blocked the entrance to the town via Newgate.
Car drivers heading to the town from Cross Lanes encountered similar problems. The A688 between Stainton Grove and Barnard Castle was also shut. Some vehicles were left stranded in flooded roads
up the dale as motorists got caught out by the conditions.
Teesdale meteorologist Ken Cook, who operates the weather station at Copley, said Storm Desmond in 2015 had stronger winds but the sheer amount of rain that fell this year had caused the problems.
He said: “The main thing was the rain – the amount of water coming down and how quickly it came. We have had winds as strong as that with guest of up to 97mph at Great Dun Fell but the rainfall, nearly 50mm in 36 hours, was the problem.
“Further up the dale it could have been more. We had 70 mm in 36 hours, which is nearly half the month’s rainfall. It’s quite something. Notable conditions such as these are very exciting for an observer like me, but they can cause misery.”
The Environment Agency issued a flooding alert on the upper parts of the River Tees, which reached 2.81 metres at Middleton-in-Teesdale, narrowly beating the previous recent high in December 2011.
Hamsteley Forest was closed because of the high winds and major work on the A66 was postponed. Raby Estates shut the trail to High Force over the weekend for safety reasons.
Professional Teesdale photographer David Foster ventured up to the waterfall and said in all the years he has been taking pictures he had never seen so full or ferocious.
Upper dale residents Chris and Anne Dauber said they had never seen anything like it since they had lived in the area.
The B6277 Bowlees Road, was underwater in several places. Some onlookers in Newbiggin described the conditions as the worst in living memory.
Motorists on the B6277 road between Mickleton and Middleton-in-Teesdale had to find alternative routes when it too became impassable at Lonton.
The bridge at Winston was also badly affected.
Resident Rebekah Kidd said: “Winston bridge is holding quite a lot of water, there were 4x4s going through without any problem but I wouldn’t in a low car. I’ve not seen it like this before. The river is wild below.”
