Wind & Gales

The region has been hit by particularly notable gales on several occasions in the last seven years.

The major storms in December 2006/January 2007 which hit most of the UK, causing 10 deaths nationwide, reached wind speeds of up to 100m.p.h in places.  In the North East, wind speeds peaked around 80m.p.h but this was sufficient to cause notable damage and disruption.  Some of the main consequences are highlighted below:

• Newcastle International Airport cancelled 11 flights due to high winds;
• Delays were experienced on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) rail network due to trees blown across the track;
• Outdoor sporting events were cancelled;
• Power lines collapsed, causing loss of electricity to hundreds of homes;

• Indoor events were cancelled in South Shields due to building damage;
• A school was closed in Peterlee due to roof damage;
• The Centre for Life in central Newcastle was cordoned off for around 2 hours while scaffolding was made safe;
• A New Year’s Eve pyrotechnics show in central Newcastle was cancelled;
• The Transporter Bridge across the River Tees was closed to vehicles for a day;

• The Redheugh Bridge across the River Tyne and the Newton Cap viaduct in Bishop Auckland were closed to high-sided vehicles;
• Uprooted trees blocked roads and smashed into moving and stationary cars, buildings, park railings and power lines at numerous locations across the region, including Burn Valley Gardens (Hartlepool). Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Ponteland, Alnwick, Newbiggin, Hexham and Teesdale;
• Parked boats and garden sheds were blown away at Ashington, Belington and Malton;
• Loose roofing tiles were removed from buildings by fire crews at a bingo hall in Byker, a council residential property in Newcastle, a shopping complex in South Shields, a petrol station next to the A1 at Washington services and a school near Chester-le-Street;
• Power supply to 800 homes in Weardale was lost for around seven hours;
• Power supply to some farms, isolated houses and High Force Hotel was lost for around six hours in Upper Teesdale;
• High-sided vehicles over-turned in Otterburn and Berwick;
• 13 separate weather-induced crashes in a 25 mile stretch of the A1 near Gateshead closed the road for 9½ hours (three people were treated for minor injuries);
• A public footpath was closed due to public safety concerns at High Force waterfall in Teesdale;
• Scaffolding was blown over, causing minor injuries to three people, at a new housing development in Ashington;
• Lamp-posts, pylons and traffic lights were damaged or blown over into carriageways causing traffic disruption, at Whitley Bay, Sunderland, Wallsend and Washington;
• Three families were evacuated and temporarily re-housed in Wrekenton due to wind damage to their residence;
• 1000 homes were temporarily without power in Bowburn, County Durham, due to wind-related disruption;

With such wide-spread impact over the 2006/07 winter, it is perhaps surprising that only relatively minor injury, damage and disruption was reported during this period of gales. 

Sadly, the gales of January 2005 had more tragic consequences when an angler was blown off South Gare breakwater (Teesmouth) into the North Sea and drowned. Despite the efforts of the Redcar and Teesmouth lifeboats, the police, ambulance and fire services, the coastguard and an RAF helicopter the conditions, with 60m.p.h winds, rain, snow, hail and high waves, were too severe.

Significant disruption and damage occurred elsewhere across the region particularly in Hartlepool, Darlington and East County Durham, during these January 2005 gales, with the main consequences being:

• Closure of an Age Concern pensioner activity centre in Ushaw Moor and £25,000 repairs costs due to wind damage to the centre;
• Loss of electricity to 4,000 homes in Seaham and 4 schools, which were forced to close, in County Durham;
• Road and bridge closures, including Redheugh Bridge across the River Tyne;
• Road blockage caused by falling trees and structural damage and falling roof tiles reported in Seaham, Chester-le-Street, Berwick, Blyth, Crook, Bishop Auckland, Darlington, Middleton, Hartlepool, Barnard Castle, Middlesbrough and Billingham;

• A 14ft chimney stack blown over and damaging the roof of student living quarters at Durham University resulting in the need to re-house 38 students in temporary housing on their imminent returns from Christmas holidays;
• 150,000 homes across the north east and North Yorkshire without electricity over a weekend;
• 250 calls to emergency services regarding fallen trees and loose roofing tiles in Darlington alone;
• Damage to buildings at Sedgefield Racecourse caused by the roof of a grounds-man’s hut being blown away;
• Collapsing wall causing £2,000 of damage to a vehicle in Hartlepool;
• Damage and disruption to roads across County Durham caused by fallen trees, blown-debris and landslips estimated at >£100,000 by the County Council;
• A chimney stack blown through an attic roof narrowly missing the occupant, another blown down into the road and another demolished as a safety precaution in Stanhope and a similar near escape for a pensioner in Peterlee;
• Storm damage to perimeter fencing at the Deveraux Stadium estimated at £20,000 with a need for Billingham Town F.C to make the repairs to ensure compliance with league regulations and maintain security to its grounds;
• Cancellation of outdoor sporting activities due to safety concerns for spectators;
• Collapse of a barn trapping 11 cows and killing two others in Middleton;
• Injury to a motorcyclist hit by a falling tree in Middleton;
• Closure of the A66 Trans-Pennine route to high-sided vehicles;
• Falling of 70 trees at Wooler many of which hit a 11,000 volt power line which had to be rebuilt (disruption to supply was minimised to 200 customers due to £3.5m capital investment by NEDL in 2003 and recent upgrades to the Berwick ring by Scottish Power);
• Loss of St. Benedict’s Church roof at Cowpen, Blyth
• Removal of 150 fallen trees from blocked roads in Northumberland;
• Over turning of a lorry on the A1 at Stannington;

• Loss of power to Crook and Middleton-in-Teesdale, resulting in the need for emergency generators in shops and Crook Police Station, and to parts of Darlington and Richmond;
• Closure of the A1(M) in both directions between Darlington and Chester-le-Street for most of a Saturday following the over-turning of 25 lorries, due to high winds;
• Loss of power to an estimated one-in-six homes in Teesdale, with over 2,000 still without power after four days;
• Temporary closure of refuse sites;
• Isolation of the village of Greatham, near Hartlepool, due to electricity cables and trees blocking access routes;
• Disruption to rail services between Hartlepool and Middlesbrough as a caravan was blown onto to the line;
• Estimated tens of thousands of pounds of repair costs to Hartlepool Borough Council;
• Cancellation of East Coast Main Line Services between Newcastle and York for four hours (with no replacement coach services) as trees and wind blown debris was cleared and over-head lines repaired;
• 300 calls for emergency assistance to County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service in a 12 hours period, and 230 calls to Tyne & Wear Fire and Rescue Service in a 5 hour period.

In October 2004, Tyne and Wear and County Durham (and North Yorkshire) were hit by gales which resulted in the closure of Newton Cap Viaduct and Redheugh Bridge, and some roads in Sunderland due to tree and lamp post falls.  The speed restrictions were imposed on the ECML between York and Newcastle and the A66 was closed at the Durham border for 5 hours when a lorry blew over and its two occupants had to be freed by fire crews.

Earlier that year, in March, the A1 and A66 (both North Yorkshire sections) were closed after fatal accidents during the gales.  The A1 was closed during this event for 12 hours due to the fatality and due to the spillage of chemicals that were being transported.  In Durham, Bishop Auckland, Sunderland (Whitby and York), power was lost to around 15,000 homes as overhead lines were damaged.  Other reported incidents occurred at Stockton (dangerously swinging bank sign), Darlington (road closure for 1 hour as a shop’s loose roof was made safe), South Shields (the plastic fascia of a Snooker Centre was blown across the road), Killingworth (the metal roof of a school was damaged) and Billingham (shops were evacuated while a loose roof was made safe).

On New Year’s Eve in 2003, 1,700 homes were left without power as snow and ice increased loading on overhead cables and high wind speeds then caused damage.  Consett was worst affected, but other areas included North Shields, Washington and Rowlands Gill.

In February 2007, the ECML was shut down for four hours after high winds forced the closure of York Station.  Hundreds of people were evacuated after corrugated iron was blown off the roof, crashing into an overhead power line.  At this time, speed restrictions were also imposed on the A1 and high-level routes were closed for a time to high-sided vehicles.

In December 2001/January 2002, gales severely hit the region causing fatalities, injury, disruption and damage.  The most notable incidents were:

• Damage to 106 schools, 15 social services buildings, 7 amenities and 3 other properties in Northumberland, mainly to roofs and windows, with an estimated repair cost to the County Council of around £100,000;
• 30 trees blocking roads in Wansbeck District;
• Closure or partial closure of schools due to storm damage in Chester-le-Street, Sunderland, Seaton Delaval, Ashington, Jarrow, South Shields, Stockton, Billingham;
• A tree crashing through an upstairs window of a family home in Whitley Bay narrowly missing the occupants;
• Collapse of a chimney in Cullercoats, causing damage to a parked car;
• Damage to part of the roof at Tynemouth Swimming Pool, causing its temporary closure;
• People being blown from their feet, causing cut, bruise and fracture injuries;
• Lorries being blown over causing traffic disruption - including closure of the A19 near the Silverlink Retail Park;
• Deployment of officers from Wallsend and Tynemouth Fire Brigades and Northumberland Police with a seven-fold increase in number of reported incidents;
• A 200m long floating dry dock breaking free of it moorings and floating down the Tyne, causing damage to obstacles in its path, including a fishing vessel;
• Damage to over 900 houses in North Tyneside, as well as street lights and road signs;
• Death of a lorry driver when his vehicle over-turned on the A1 near Seaton Burn, and several other lorries over-turning over turning in the high winds;
• Death of a passenger in lorry when it over turned on the A1(M) near Chester-le-Street (note: another similar fatality occurred on the southbound A1 near Catterick);
• Closure of the Redheugh Bridge when a lorry over turned and was only prevented from plunging into the Tyne by the safety barrier;

• Falling masonry and slate striking a pedestrian in Morpeth, resulting in the need for hospital treatment, and a similar incident in South Shields (note a woman was killed by falling masonry from All Saints Church in York);
• Deployment of all of Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service’s 23 appliances to incidents;
• Road closures due to scaffold debris at Blyth;
• Collapsed fences, demolished gable ends, lost house and garage roofs and chimneys across Northumberland and Tyne & Wear;
• Evacuation of South Shields Town Hall car park after a chimney stack blew down;
• Evacuation of dozens of houses in Hebburn due to roof damage and the need for temporary accommodation for the residents;
• Two large sections of a corrugated metal roof blew off a building onto a road and rail line near Hartlepool leading to their closure for over an hour;
• Masonry falling from a chimney stack in Hartlepool;
• An over turning lorry on the A19 near Peterlee, causing huge tailbacks of traffic, and a separate incident on the A19 near Hartlepool around the same time;
• Cancellation of Metro services between Heworth and Hebburn due to a nearby unsafe building;
• Suspension of the Shields Ferry due to choppy conditions caused by the winds;
• Panels from the sails on Fulwell Mill in Sunderland were blown off, forcing a road closure;
• Cancellation of regular weekly market-trading in Darlington;
• A light plane was blown over at Newcastle Airport and had to be righted and shackled;
• The Transporter Bridge was closed due to high winds (it can only operate in wind speeds up to 30m.p.h) as were the Newton Cap viaduct, the A66 Trans-Pennine route and the A19 Tees flyover near Middlesbrough;

• Steel letters on a giant sign in a shopping area were blown to the ground amongst shoppers in Middlesbrough, causing the area to be cordoned off and a road to be closed;
• Important trees were blown over in Wansbeck District and Stockton.

In October 2000, all ECML services were cancelled between London and the North East after overhead power lines were damaged and obstacles were blown on to the track.  As well as road and bridge closure and disruption to rail and air services, sporting fixtures were cancelled, including Redcar Races.

Earlier that year in January 2000, three families had to be freed from their homes after a huge tree fell across their gardens during a gale.  A window at South Shields Fire Station was also smashed during this event.

 

top

 

 

Tornadoes & Funnel Clouds

Tornadoes are formed when warm, moist air rises and meets cold air, creating a vortex.  Heavy rain and thunderstorms following warmer periods are the deal conditions for the tornado formation.  Funnel clouds are tornado-like but the vortex does not reach the ground surface and the energy within these events is usually less than within a full tornado.

Tornadoes and funnel clouds are relatively rare events in the UK with typically around only 30 reported nationally every year. Most of these are minor and short duration events, but when full tornado conditions develop in urban areas, the damage to buildings can be severe.  The most notable tornadoes in the UK of recent years were reported in London (2006), causing insurance claims of £350,000 from 100 property owners, Birmingham (2005) and Selsey Bill, West Sussex (2000) when Sir Patrick Moore’s observatory was damaged.  More recently, a series of tornadoes hit parts of central and southern England, causing building damage (mostly to roofs and chimneys), blowing over trees, damaging vehicles and disrupting transport networks in parts of Farnborough, Northampton, Luton, Nuneaton and Breaston.

In the North East, funnel clouds were reported in several locations in the summer of 2006, a particularly hot summer for the region.  Although no damage was caused, funnel clouds were observed and recorded on mobile-phone cameras at Alston (North Pennines), Guisborough and Nunthorpe.  Similarly, the summer of 2005 a funnel cloud was observed in Darlington and although it too was short-lived and caused no damage, it did cause some anxiety as it occurred only 2 weeks after the nationally reported and damaging Birmingham tornado.

Snow, Blizzards & Ice

Despite the frequent news reports of ‘freak arctic conditions’, snowfall, blizzards and ice affect the North East region every winter.  Over recent years this has resulted in fatalities, injuries and major disruption, primarily due to treacherous travelling conditions.  Some of the key impacts from these weather events over recent winters are described below.

The winter of 2006/07 was relatively mild, with temperatures reaching lowest levels in more rural areas such as Tynedale (-2°C).  Despite this, sub-zero temperatures led to several vehicle accidents and numerous minor pedestrian injuries due to slips in more urban areas, in particular across Tyne & Wear. 

Temperatures are reported to have dropped to lows of -10°C in places across Northumberland and -11°C in Teesdale during the 2005/06 winter.  In January 2006 temperatures in Teesdale are reported to have remained below freezing for 71 consecutive hours, causing a ‘cold wave’ effect.  During this period an estimated 1 in 10 year snowfall event occurred.  Key impacts of this severe weather were:

• A serious road traffic accident (RTA) on the A66 in March 2006 which resulted in one fatality, several serious injuries and numerous minor injuries;
• A string of minor bumps and collisions on roads across the region;
• Severe disruption to East Coast Main Line (ECML) rail services, with delays of up to 2 hours between Berwick and Edinburgh due to ice on overhead power lines in January 2006 and December 2005;
• Cancellation of business and public meetings;
• Postponement of a Premiership football match at St. James’ Park, Newcastle because of conditions on the roads surrounding the stadium, despite the club having spent a reported £100,000 on clearing snow from the pitch and stadium.  The late postponement was due to a blizzard during rush-hour which meant that gritters were unable to get onto the roads, due to the high volume of traffic, to clear them of snow in advance of the evening kick-off.  Around 50,000 fans travelled, or attempted to travel, to the stadium before the postponement was announced;
• A reported 13 RTA’s in Hartlepool and Peterlee in less than 24 hours, many on the A19;
• Flight cancellations from Newcastle Airport and delay of an emergency landing due to snow on the runway;

• Two fatalities in November 2005 (one in Cramlington, the other in Morpeth) due to skidding and over-turning vehicles in icy conditions;
• School closures due to burst boilers and hazardous travelling conditions across the region;
• In April 2006 a Premiership football match between Sunderland and Fulham at the Stadium of Light was abandoned after 21 minutes because of a snowstorm, which affected visibility and caused dangerous conditions for players on the pitch.

In response to the severe weather, gritters, gritting trailers and snowploughs were deployed across the region and footpaths, were cleared by council gangs.  Speed restrictions were placed on several roads, including the A1 and A19.  Regular statements were issued about the treacherous conditions and helpful advice was given.

In the winter of 2004/05, the major impacts included:

• A fatality from a sledging accident at a former pit heap near Cramlington in February 2005 and several other less serious injuries from the same activity;
• Closure of over 100 schools across the region, including 30 in Northumberland, 64 in County Durham, 3 in Newcastle and 2 in Gateshead in February 2005;
• Pipe burst due to freeze-thaw leaving 3000 people in Gateshead without running water whilst repairs were undertaken;
• Police called to snowball fights, draining resources and diverting them from other activities;
• Diversions of flight taken offs and landings between Newcastle and Durham Tees Valley Airports;
• Diversions of flights from these airports to other airports outside of the region (Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh);
• Flight cancellations and flight delays of around 3 hours;
• Airport closure for around 1 hour;
• Closure of C-roads (e.g.  Blanchland, Walkerly)
• Numerous RTAs;
• Disruption to rail and bus services;
• Disruption to refuse collections; and
• Local snow melt raising water levels in Lustrum Beck, Stockton, raising a flood alert.

By way of adaptation, road gritting, snow clearance and speed restrictions were applied to major roads.  Volunteers and ground staff cleared the football pitch at the Riverside Stadium to enable a UEFA Cup match between Middlesbrough F.C. and Grazer A.K. to go ahead.  This was accompanied by cooperation from Middlesbrough and Stockton Councils to clear approach roads to the stadium.  Rail networks were cleared of snow by ‘snowmen’ workgangs, points heaters and de-icing trains.

During the winter 2003/04, the estimated cost to Durham County Council alone of snow clearing over a four day period in January 2004 was £480,000.  This compares with an annual road maintenance budget of £2.1M.  The cost was incurred to keep 32 key routes open to vehicles and comprised £138,000 for 5,300 tonnes of salt, 3,100 man hours of staff time (operating a 2shift system involving 80 staff), equipment loan and contractor costs.

Elsewhere, the key impacts were:

• Snowballing youths targeting vehicles in Darlington, causing police resources to be diverted to dealing with this incident;
• C-road closures around Darlington and County Durham;
• Delays to ECML services, including some cancellations;
• Closure of 66 schools in Northumberland, 7 in Newcastle, 11 in Sunderland and 4 in Durham;

• Disruption to the A1 Western Bypass and A68 near Hexham;
• Flight cancellations;
• Postponement of a Nationwide League football match between Sunderland and Norwich City at the Stadium of Light and a Carling Cup Semi-final between Middlesbrough and Arsenal at the Riverside Stadium, both of which were due to be televised;
• Closure of the A19 between Sunderland and Washington;
• Reduced metro services;
• A stranded fire engine in Murton and another blocked by a stranded lorry on its way to a call out in Peterlee.
• The rugby match between Newcastle Falcons and London Irish went ahead at Kingston Park after groundstaff and volunteers cleared the pitch of snow and after the visiting team’s flight was diverted from Newcastle Airport to Edinburgh, with a coach transfer;
• Disruption to bus services;
• Disruption to refuse collection in Redcar and Cleveland;
• Minor injuries to 3 school children after their bus skidded on ice in County Durham; and
• Major disruption on New Years Eve with 1,500 calls to the North East Ambulance Service in 24 hours mostly related to bad road conditions.  Numerous vehicles were left stranded in a blizzard near Burnopfield and a nearby hotel opened its doors to stranded motorists until conditions improved a few hours later.

In the winter of 2002/03 temperatures dropped to -11°C in places across the region.  There was a notable influx of hospital admissions due to broken wrists and hips caused by slips on the ice and numerous road traffic accidents (RTAs) occurred, including a 21 vehicle pile up near Corbridge on the A69 (a pregnant woman was air-lifted to hospital), a 20 vehicle pile-up on the A19 in Cleveland near Crathorne and 36 reported accidents in County Durham over a 15 hour period.  The A66 and A19 in Teesside were both impassable for periods due to sheet ice, and disruption was caused to air, bus, rail and metro travel.

 

Over the 2001/02 winter a fatality occurred in a RTA in icy conditions on the A19 near Peterlee and a docker had a narrow escape after his vehicle skidded and fell into the icy water at Hartlepool.  The driver managed to free himself and escape.  During this winter, in December 2001, main road routes to Scotland were closed due to snowfall (A68 at Otterburn, A697 at Longframlington) or due to a weather-related RTA (A1 at Alnwick).  Elsewhere
cars were abandoned on road carriageways, making it difficult for snow ploughs to get through and clear the roads.  Over the worst periods, disruption was caused to rail, bus, air and metro services.  Several other RTAs were reported due to icy conditions, including a serious crash on the A1(M) near Durham on Christmas Eve and an accident involving a fire engine near Gateshead.

A fatal collision occurred over the 2000/01 winter between a car and a snowplough on the A68.  Numerous other RTAs were reported over the winter including several on the A1.  Roads near Belford were blocked due to snowfall and as this melted local flooding to the A1 was caused.  A Premiership football match at St James’ Park between Newcastle and Southampton was postponed due to the weather conditions while snow and ice on the powerlines in Northumberland left several thousand homes around Bamburgh, Wooler, Belford and Chatton without power for around 5 hours.

 

top

 

 

Lightning

The region has locally been affected by lightning over recent years.  At their worst, such events have caused disruption to rail and air ambulance services and to the electricity supply network across the region.  Mostly, however, lightning has resulted in structural damage to residential properties.

17 July 2007, Newcastle

• There were two reports of lightning strikes, one at Battle Hill and the other at Forest Hall.  At Battle Hill a lightning strike hit a house and knocked the chimney off and also blew all the electrics to neighbouring houses.  At Forest Hall lightening went through a house window and set the curtains on fire.

22 June 2007, Bellingham

• A lightning strike damaged overhead power cables and caused power cuts to properties in Noble Street, Briar Hill, Percy Terrace and Hillside, for over 5 hours.

22 June 2007, Darlington

• Lightning caused the Great North Air Ambulance communications systems to fail, as a hangar was struck 4 times.
• A lightning strike knocked out conductors, causing blackouts to 202 homes and businesses.

14 September 2007, Stockton

• A house was struck by lightning and the roof was damaged.

18 August 2006

• A strike to the East Coast Main Line signalling system outside York caused severe rush hour disruption and long delays.  It knocked out 12 signalling modules.

18 August 2006, South Shields

• The roof of a house was set on fire by a lightning strike.
• Also, neighbours’ electricity was blown.
• At Hebburn, a TV aerial was hit damaging a TV set and the electrics.

12 October 2005, Hexham, Stocksfield, Consett

• 800 homes were without electricity due to a lightning strike.
• 100,000 homes were without power the previous day due to failure in the National Grid due to a suspected lightning strike.

31 August 2005

• Lightning strikes on electricity distribution transformers and overhead equipment disrupted power supply to 100,000 homes across the North East, Yorkshire and Humberside.
• Lightning caused more than 60 permanent faults.
• 20,000 lightning strikes hit the region.
• 21 passengers were rescued from a Metro train between Heworth and Pelaw when overhead cables were struck by lightning.
• The Rainbow Leisure Centre at Coulby Newham (near Middlesbrough) was closed following a lightning strike and the Plant Room was flooded.

19 June 2005, Teesdale

• Bilsdale transmitter on the North York Moors was hit by lightning (and affected by heavy rain), causing television and radio blackout throughout Teesdale.
• At Loftus, in Cleveland, a house was struck by lightning, causing the chimney to be damaged, walls and the ceiling in the main bedroom to be blown out, and the loft set on fire.  The loft was destroyed (including the loss of an irreplaceable Star Wars collection valued at £25,000) and 7 rooms were smoke damaged.  The structural repair bill was £40,000.

June 2004

• Rail passengers were stranded as lightning hit power cables on the key East Coast Main Line.

9 August 2004

• Lightning hit terraces in Quaking Houses, County Durham, causing damage to chimneys and leaving serious structural damage to homes.  A 74 year old man was blown out of his shed by a bolt explosion.

August 2004

• Fishermen were hit by lightning in a boat off Whitley Bay during a storm.
• TVs and videos in Gateshead were blown after lightning struck a chimney.

August 1999

• A house in Cramlington was struck by lightning leaving a huge hole in the roof and the roof on fire.

September 2000

• Thousands of homes were without electricity after violent electrical storms knocked out power lines.  7,000 homes were without power after 130 separate faults were reported.

August 2004, Teesdale

• Power was cut-off to homes in Middleton-in-Teesdale for more than 18 hours after a lightning strike. 
• About 6,000 properties were affected in total, most were restored within 15 minutes across Teesdale.
• The regional 66,000 volt network and local 20,000 volt network where both hit.

9 August 2004, Morpeth

• The East Coast Main Line was knocked out of action by a lightning strike at Chevington.
• Power was lost to tracks between Morpeth and Alnmouth, affecting signalling equipment.

June 2004, Durham

• A lightning strike caused chaos to rail services.

Historical Note: In June 1835 Durham Cathedral’s spire was hit by lightning and a portion of the pinnacle was knocked into the churchyard.  Five people were hit and one person died as a consequence.

top

 

 

Flooding

The region has been hit by a number of notable flood events in recent years, particularly those at Hexham, Ponteland and Skinningrove.  There have also been many other flood events of a shorter duration or more localised nature. Recent flooding across the region has been from a combination of sources, including rivers, streams, culverts and sewers.  Some of these recent events are described below to illustrate the (non-exhaustive) typical impacts that can inflict the region:

 

19/20 July 2007, Tynedale
Heavy torrential rain caused flash flooding across Tynedale.  One man collapsed and died while clearing flood water from his cellar.  Properties were flooded across Bardon Mill, Hexham, Henshaw and Haydon Bridge.  Rail services between Haltwhistle and Carlisle were disrupted after the heavy rain caused minor landslips.  In the Eals area, Slaggyford, flash flood from Mill Burn caused trees and debris to block under the bridge.

20 July 2007, Teesdale
Flash floods occurred after Skeeby Beck burst its banks.  Flooding affected Gilling West, Hartforth, Melsonby, Ravensworth, Kirby Hill and Middleton Tyas.  Residents were forced to abandon their homes and  30 homes in Gilling West were evacuated.  Many roads were closed, and a Primary School was closed due to flood damage.

18 July 2007, Tynedale
Flash floods occurred across Tynedale.  At Riding Mill, surface water field runoff flooded a Nursing Home and elderly residents were evacuated.  The Tyne Valley railway line was closed due to flooding of tracks and at Hexham torrents of flood water flowed down Eastgate to Priestpopple and Loosing Hill.  The High Street was flooded.  A tributary of the River South Tyne turned bright yellow and reports of dead fish were received by the Environment Agency, who later attributed this to large quantities of silt being washed into the river.

18 July 2007, Durham City
Torrential rain caused widespread disruption, including closure in both directions of the A177 (Shincliffe to Bowburn).  Bowburn Community Centre and some nearby properties were flooded with water and sewage.  Durham University Library and the car park at The Gates Shopping Centre were also affected.

3 July 2007, Belford
Manhole covers were lifted a foot in the air due to the volume of surcharging water.  Holiday cottages were flooded and Belford Burn was at dangerously high levels, caused by backing-up in drainage systems.  This was the fourth flood event in 2 years, linked to old drains failing to cope with intense events.

30 June 2007, Blyth
Blyth Sports Centre (Newsham), flooded and 18 incidents of flooding were reported in Blyth and Seaton Deleval.  Several roads were flooded up to 2 feet deep.  The Fire Service used a high volume pump.  This 20 tonne high-tech pump unit can pump 3 times faster than conventional fire service pumps.  The pump is based in Northumberland, at Ashington and was previously deployed in Beverley, near Hull, and in Carlisle in 2005.

22 June 2007, Darlington
Two Secondary schools and one Primary school were closed due to flooding and at Durham Tees Valley Airport, the terminal and restaurant were flooded, but this has a back-up generator.  The Darlington Community Safety Partnership office was evacuated after a roof collapse due to heavy rain and Northumbrian Water took 30 calls from residents and businesses who had flooded in Darlington, Middleton St George, Yarm, Ingleby Barwick, Eaglescliffe (all near Stockton), Middlesbrough and Peterlee.

18 August 2006, Newcastle, Cramlington, Alnwick
Floods disrupted the Metro and services were suspended.  Stations at Tyne Dock, Chichester, South Shields and Bede were all affected.  Localised flooding also occurred on roads in Cramlington, Herrington and Alnwick town centre. 

January 2005
40 homes and businesses in Corbridge were flooded when the river Tyne breached defences. A further 50 in Haydon Bridge and Warden were also flooded. River levels in the South Tyne were the highest ever recorded.

19 June 2005, North Tyneside
Heavy rain flooded 7 of 8 operating theatres in North Tyneside Hospital, meaning that operations were cancelled or transferred to Hexham. 

November 2000, Ponteland
140 homes and businesses were flooded, mainly from surface water and a side stream to the river Pont. Roughly 25 of these were from the main river which over-topped defences.  

July 2000, Skinningrove
Flooding hit the village in 2000 when some areas were left under 4 feet of water and residents had to be evacuated from their homes.

June 2000
400 homes in South Church and West Auckland were flooded from the river Gaunless.

top