THE region's coastal communities and huge swathes of North Yorkshire could be wiped out by rising sea levels triggered by global warming.

Scientists are warning that the sweltering heat of the past few weeks and the flash floods experienced in Carlisle, Newcastle and parts of North Yorkshire, could merely be a taste of things to come.

The revelations show that the planet's rapidly changing weather patterns could raise sea levels by between seven and 84 metres within the next 200 years.

In the worst-case scenario, nearly half of Britain would be submerged, creating a string of smaller islands - and the North-East's coastal towns would be swamped.

The study is drawn from University College London's Benfield Hazard Research Centre, which has produced the first detailed maps showing the possible impact of global warming on the country's landscape.

It was commissioned by satellite network UKTV History to mark its forthcoming series The British Isles, A Natural History.

The team unveiled three potential scenarios.

Most likely is a seven-metre rise in sea levels if either the Greenland or West Antarctic ice sheet melts, which project leader Professor Bill McGuire says there is a five per cent risk of happening.

If both melt, sea levels could rise by 13 metres or there could be an incredible 84 metre rise if the East Antarctic Ice Sheet also melts.

Prof McGuire said: "Even in the best and most likely scenario, a 21ft rise in sea levels is a massive rise.

"No Northern coastal community would come out of that unscathed and the Vale of York and southern Yorkshire are most at risk.

"For three or four years, experts have been predicting that, in a couple of centuries, there will be flooding of up to seven metres.

"People are willing to buy a Lottery tickets with a one in 40 million chance of winning, I think we should take this one in 20 chance seriously."

The team said that the doomsday scenario, with little beyond the mountainous regions of Wales, Scotland, the South-West and the Pennine spine of England surviving, will only happen if nothing is done about carbon gas emissions.