MPs have condemned the “completely unacceptable” failure of flood defences after parts of Yorkshire were under water for the second time in four years, with further downpours forecast.

A second person died following Storm Ciara’s passage through Britain when a dog walker in his 60s was hit by a falling tree branch in Liverpool on Tuesday.

The Met Office said Storm Dennis would bring further heavy rain and widespread gales at the weekend.

Rachel Maskell, the Labour MP for York, said some of her constituents had been affected by serious flooding due to the slow progress of mitigation work that began after the disastrous Boxing Day floods of 2015.

The River Ouse, which runs through the medieval city, peaked at 4.35 metres on Tuesday, the highest level since the 2015 floods when it reached 5.2 metres.

Although properties in York city centre were protected this time, Maskell said, others were not protected because the Environment Agency had not yet installed a new flood barrier.

She added: “There are still many issues relating to flood insurance which this government has failed to resolve, not least for businesses and leasehold properties. I will continue to press the government to resolve these issues, as they cannot leave residents having to face extortionately high insurance premiums and excess payments.”

Dozens of flood warnings remain in place across Britain as wintry showers and high winds hamper the recovery from Storm Ciara. Schools were closed from the Scottish Highlands down to Cumbria, where more than 400 people have been left without tap water due to mains damage.

The Met Office said there would be very little let-up, with Storm Dennis expected to blow in on Saturday.

Some rail lines and roads remained closed. The Queensferry crossing between Edinburgh and Fife was closed due to falling ice.

There were 57 flood warnings and 162 flood alerts in place across England on Tuesday. The Met Office also had weather warnings in place for wind, snow and ice from Scotland to the Midlands and Northern Ireland.

The Tory MP Philip Davies said it was “completely unacceptable” that many of his constituents in Shipley, West Yorkshire, who were victims of the 2015 Boxing Day floods had been flooded again.

Halifax’s Labour MP, Holly Lynch, said there was a “sense of absolute devastation” that “for so many residents we are in the same position again having flooded in 2015”.

The government has activated the emergency Bellwin scheme for communities affected in West Yorkshire, Cumbria and Lancashire. The environment secretary, Theresa Villiers, told MPs that the government would “take a fresh look” at flood defence programmes following Storm Ciara and was “determined to press on with major investments in our flood defences”.

The Met Office’s chief meteorologist, Steve Ramsdale, said: “Another spell of very wet and windy weather is expected for Saturday. Although Storm Dennis is currently not expected to be as severe as Ciara, disruption is still likely. Our confidence in the forecast means we have been able to issue severe weather warnings well in advance, giving people time to prepare for potential impacts of the storm.”

On Monday four walkers had to be rescued from near the summit of Ben Nevis after becoming trapped in blizzard conditions. Rescuers said the walkers were lucky to be alive after they were found without ice axes, crampons or maps. Three of them were wearing trainers.

Lochaber mountain rescue team said all four were taken by helicopter from partway down the mountain to be checked over at Belford hospital in Fort William. The helicopter could not be used near the summit because of the severity of the conditions.