
Midway through yesterday afternoon, York Police admitted that they had run out of 'Road Closed' signs.

And yet there were still hours to go before the peak of the flooding which brought fresh havoc and misery to northern England yesterday.

By nightfall, they were using tape or cones or simply parking vehicles across the entrances to submerged streets.

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Dramatic aerial photographs of York city show the large scale of flooding which hit Yorkshire, with rising floodwater engulfing properties and vehicles and leading to the evacuation of some 4,000 stranded residents

Following intense downpours which led to rivers bursting their banks across York, hundreds of homes today remain submerged in floodwater (pictured) and residents continue to be evacuated as the city comes to terms with widespread flooding

Mountain rescue teams could be seen going door-to-door by boat as they evacuated homes which were left submerged in floodwater in York. It came after around six-and-a-half inches of rain fell across the Yorkshire region

Where has the road gone? Murky floodwater completely covered part of the main road through York after the city was hit by rainfall

Daily Mail reporter Robert Hardman visited York yesterday - ahead of the Prime Minister's trip, he said he 'will find people with a lot of questions, a lot of complaints – but also plenty of good humour, too'

It was York's turn to bear the brunt of this winter's freak rainfall yesterday. The city might have enjoyed brilliant sunshine for most of the day but Saturday morning's Biblical downpour over the Dales and other parts of Yorkshire was still flowing off the hills and in to the two rivers which meet in this great medieval city – the Ouse and the Foss.

To make matters worse, the flood barrier which usually controls the Foss was left open ahead of yesterday's surge because of concerns that its own control centre might be overwhelmed (the thinking being that it would be better to leave it jammed open than jammed shut).

As a result, the two rivers ended up flowing in to each other and swamping part of the city.

After weeks of misery and havoc in Cumbria and parts of Lancashire, the great December deluge has been moving south and east in recent days, gradually claiming more metropolitan targets.

Until the weekend, it had largely affected small towns and villages plus the outskirts of Carlisle. Come Saturday, it was wrecking parts of Greater Manchester, not least Summerseat where the Waterside Inn is no longer beside the water - but in it.

The remains of this poor pub, near Bury, are one of the most arresting images of the power of these floods. It looks as if its been hit by a meterorite, not a Lancashire beck.

Yesterday, the waters claimed their first city centre – and, in the process, their first panto.

York's Grand Opera House had to cancel its matinee and evening performances of Jack and the Beakstalk (starring TOWIE's Lewis Bloor) because the River Ouse had broken through in to the orchestra pit and the lower reaches of the theatre.

Swamped: As darkness fell, the flood waters could still be seen covering many of the roads throughout York city centre (pictured)

Cars were seen almost completely submerged in the raging waters (pictured), which also flooded a petrol station on Huntington Road, York

Covered: The level of the water was high enough to engulf stranded cars (pictured) as darkness fell on the city of York for another night

What looked like sofa cushions were piled up at the entrance to a York city centre hotel as staff tried their best to keep the flood waters out

The flood waters cut the electricity to several traffic lights in the city centre (pictured) as a muddy stream of misery blighted York overnight

Persevering: Here an ambulance is seen driving through the flood waters as it makes its way through York city centre on Sunday night

Next door to the theatre, I found Altin Bulent, owner of the Turkish Bar and Grill half-heartedly sweeping up the mess, in the knowledge that the waters could rise even higher.

'We've already lost all our New Year's Eve bookings. I don't know how much it's going to cost us,' he said, still managing a smile.

At least he can get to and from his door.

Further down Cumberland Street, the Lowther Pub is inaccessible, though it is clearly equipped with some pretty impressive pumps judging by the geysers of filth spurting from various outlets on the upper floor.

Next door, Plonkers Wine Bar, a homage to the BBC comedy, Only Fools & Horses, is equally cut off. At least Del Boy's trademark Robin Reliant, strapped to an upper storey, is high and dry.

A soldier from the second Duke of Lancaster's regiment carries sandbags provided by the Environment Agency to the River Ouse in the Bishopsthorpe Road area of York, where they were used to boost flood defences ahead of tomorrow's predicted flood water peak

Lending a hand: Residents of the Bishopthorpe Road area of York join soldiers in carrying sandbags to boost the city's flood defences

There were 22 tons of sandbags sent on two large trucks by the Environment Agency. Here one resident carries some over his shoulders

A soldier unloads sandbags provided by the Environment Agency. They are being used to try and boost the city of York's flood defences

The main bridges across the Ouse remain open. On the other side, I found a dozen rescuers from Cleveland Mountain Rescue awaiting new orders having just evacuated 63 elderly guests from the Queens Hotel.

All volunteers, they had nobly answered the call late on Boxing Day evening, arriving in York in the early hours and had not had a wink of sleep since.

They usually retrieve missing hikers from the North Yorkshire Moors, not Robinson Crusoe pensioners marooned on a city break. How did this compare with previous operations? 'I'd say it must be one of the biggest,' said deputy team leader, Dave Griffiths, 43.

Next to him, a manhole cover suddenly – and very disconcertingly - started blasting whiffy brown water up through its grill like a whale surfacing for air. Thar she pongs…

Now, York is no stranger to flooding. There were fairly spectacular inundations in 2012 and 2002. The clues are in some of the names of the ancient street map – Foss Island Road, King's Pool and so on. The King's Arms pub, almost entirely underwater yesterday, is so used to flooding that furniture is nailed to the floor.

Yesterday, the waters claimed their first city centre in York - here Robert Hardman takes a trip down a road by boat

Robert Hardman speaks to Mountain Rescue teams, who took up the call to help late in the evening on Boxing Day

Flooding reached unexpected proportions in York as Prime Minister David Cameron vowed to do 'all that was needed' to help

Dozens of homes were submerged in floodwater in York, as shown by these incredible aerial photographs - residents remain philosophical about the situation

Huntingdon Road and Yearsley Crescent are covered by floodwater in York after the Rivers Ouse and River Foss overspilled

Rescuers wave to residents in stricken homes as they check on people who have been stranded by the flooding

Nor was yesterday's panto closure a first for the Grand Opera House. General manager Lizzie Richards, who has been here for 16 years, explained that flooding had shut the theatre for a week in 2002. 'We just have to pull up the carpets and get on with it,' she said cheerfully.

Indeed, it was business as usual for much of York yesterday. The dry bits of the city centre were packed with bargain-hunters heading for the sales – and, it must be said, indulging in a spot of flood tourism. The best vantage points were packed with gawpers seeking a watery selfie.

The difference this time is that it is not just the traditionally soggy parts of the city which have been hit.

Up on Tang Hall Lane, I met residents like David Allan, 51, York born and bred, who has never known anything like this in his part of town. 'We were about to move house anyway and I'd just bagged up all the clothes. Now they're floating around the kitchen,' he said in the front room of his council house.

Around the corner, the Aldous family are up to their knees and pretty cheesed off about the decision to leave the Foss Barrier open. 'Why did they have to do that? Why build it in the first place?' asked Wayne Aldous, 50, a council administrator, mourning the loss of a family pet.

One might imagine a fish would be the one safe species in a flood but Mr Aldous's pet catfish had not managed to survive the loss of power to his tank.

A couple are rescued by a Mountain Rescue team in Huntington Road, York, after the Rivers Foss and Ouse burst their banks

Emergency services rescue residents from their flooded homes in York - they nobly answered the call to help late on Boxing Day evening

The Army and mountain rescue teams were among those called in to help evacuate residents in York city centre

Battling the floodwater: A man walks alongside a row of houses in a residential area of York after the River Foss burst its banks overnight

Rising water was seen lapping the front doors of several properties in York as residents were evacuated from homes

Around 500 personnel from the Army were drafted in to help residents in York following torrential rain on Saturday

NO RESPITE AS RAIN RETURNS THIS WEEK BRINGING MORE FLOODING More heavy rainfall later this week could bring further flooding. Predictions of wind and rain sweeping across the country on Wednesday means there will be no respite for communities across northern England that have been flooded during December. With river levels already very high in most areas and ground saturated by weeks of rainfall, another deluge could see a repeat of the dramatic Boxing Day scenes. The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for northern England, Wales and Scotland for Wednesday, when another low pressure system is expected to sweep in, bringing up to one and a half inches of rain to many areas. Torrential rain could see more than four and a half inches fall on high ground and much of that will work its way into the rivers because the ground is too saturated to absorb any more. The latest deluge is likely to start tomorrow night and continue all day Wednesday. There is also the likelihood of strong winds. Forecasters expect winds of around 50 or 60mph in many areas and 70mph or more in exposed locations. A Met Office spokesman said last night: ‘It is quite far off at the moment and we will have to see how it develops and we will update the weather warnings.’ The forecast is for today to remain dry but there will be rain in the early hours and into the morning tomorrow before a sunny respite during the day. Cumbria has already recorded its wettest December on record, with the village of Shap in the county’s central region deluged by an astonishing 28.6 inches – more than five times the county’s average for the month. Advertisement

Outside, I find 15 men from the 2nd Battalion, the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment briskly moving from house to house in waders, explaining evacuation options and taking the names of those who, for now, want to stay put.

They have been a familiar and welcome sight in Cumbria in recent weeks and are no less appreciated here in York. They may be a Red Rose regiment in White Rose country but no one could give two hoots about that right now.

Here, too, I found another uplifting reminder of recent dramas in the Lake District. A few weeks ago, the people of Cumbria were deeply touched by the sudden arrival of teams from the Al-Imdaad Foundation Islamic charity in Blackburn, bearing food and mops.

Yesterday, I bumped in to a team of volunteers from the Newcastle branch of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association UK. 'You've got to help your fellow countrymen, haven't you?' says Zain Ahmed, 20, a medical student from Newcastle.

He had spent the previous fortnight helping flood victims in Cumbria clean up their houses. 'I'd never even been to the Lake District before,' he explained. Now he's getting to know York rather well.

Among the others in his group giving up their holidays to help this famous city were a cabbie, a software engineer and a pizza waiter.

The pace of these floods was still catching the authorities on the hop last night. Although they'd had all day, no one had got round to delivering sand bags to the Rosemary Court housing estate near Walmgate where the water was just half an inch below many front doors last night. A few bags might have made all the difference.

But residents remained philosophical last night. 'I've heard about them not using that flood barrier but I'm not going to blame anyone. They'd have been damned if they did, damned if they didn't,' said ambulance controller Jacqui Mehhan, shouting at me from a first floor window. Her disabled ground floor neighbour had recently been evacuated.

In the midst of these seemingly endless scenes of swirling, fetid brown misery across the North in recent weeks, we should remember to give the odd pat on the back.

Here in York, in North Street and Tanners Moat, a series of simple but sturdy flood gates in an old brick wall have done a heroic job keeping several feet of the River Ouse away from many homes.

All day, passers-by could poke their head over the wall to see the great torrent sweep past at neck height. Apparently these gates were installed after the 2002 floods. They have surely repaid that investment with bells on.

And we should also salute the trusted voices of local media, in many cases the only source of information for those who have lost all internet access – if indeed they could understand the Environment Agency website in the first place.

Reporting news of fresh flooding in the Bishopthorpe area of the city yesterday, BBC Radio York presenter Julia Lewis, suddenly realised that her own home was about to go under.

Having issued a quick on-air reminder for any member of her family listening to start moving her precious things and photo albums upstairs, she calmly continued with her morning show.

Today, the Prime Minister visits the area. He will find people with a lot of questions, a lot of complaints – but also plenty of good humour, too.

He might want to take a boat to meet management consultant Neil McLure, 32, and his wife Francesca on South Esplanade. They only moved in five months ago and now have water all through the grand floor of the house.

But they had a banner flying from their second floor window yesterday.