THE cost of repairing damage and rebuilding communities devastated by freak floods at the weekend will run into tens of millions of pounds.

People taken by surprise at the end of a heatwave spoke of walls of water rushing through villages after a month's rain fell on the North York Moors in three hours during a violent electrical storm.

Householders, farmers and business people were affected as surging torrents of muddy water inundated homes and fields late on Sunday, but there was general relief that there had been no loss of human life.

Normally quiet becks and narrow country roads were rapidly overwhelmed by an unprecedented deluge across an area not previously known for flooding on such a scale.

Houses were under several feet of water, bridges were badly damaged or washed away, road surfaces were ripped up and anything in the path of the floods was snatched up, including cars and livestock.

Helmsley was severely affected after the River Rye burst its banks, but floods also hit villages including Sutton under Whitestonecliffe, Thirlby, Felixkirk, Balk and Boltby.

A massive operation to bring people to safety from flooded properties and transport those needing hospital attention involved an RAF helicopter, firefighters, the ambulance service and Swaledale mountain rescue team.

The helicopter helped an ambulance crew, hampered by flooding at Hawnby, by moving to hospital in Northallerton an elderly woman who suffered a suspected heart attack after helping successful efforts to rescue dogs at boarding kennels.

In Sutton under Whitestonecliffe, firefighters rescued a man stranded for an hour on top of a tractor in a flooded field. He was treated by the ambulance crew for minor injuries and minor hypothermia before being taken to hospital.

At Helmsley, where 20 houses were evacuated, the bridge on the main A170 was temporarily closed and the floods hit Duncombe Park, where about 80 people still remained after a huge gathering of motorcyclists.

The Association of British Insurers has estimated the bill for losses at tens of millions of pounds, while rural insurer NFU Mutual warned that the devastation could lead to claims of more than £5m for damage to farms and country properties alone.

North Yorkshire County Council has confirmed that it faces a bill running into millions of pounds for road and bridge repairs and is seeking Government funding.

On Wednesday, Anne McIntosh MP, who represents the Vale of York, asked during Prime Minister's questions if the Government would ''dig deep'' for repair work.

Tony Blair replied that £500m a year was already being spent on flood and coastal erosion management.

The safety of the bridge at Helmsley had to be checked by divers before it could be reopened to traffic at teatime on Monday, and engineers assessed damage to three bridges at Hawnby. Chapel Bridge was destroyed and a temporary structure was put in place.

The concrete deck of the bridge at Shaken Farm was cracked and could not be crossed. The county council was working to find a suitable replacement. Floods also extensively damaged Church Bridge at Hawnby.

At Sutton under Whitestonecliffe, temporary lights were installed to control traffic following extensive damage to the bridge.

On the minor road towards Felixkirk, the parapets of a bridge were extensively damaged and engineers were checking whether it was safe for traffic. Floods ripped through the surface of the road network linking Thirlby and Boltby.

Mike Moore, director of environmental services at County Hall, said: "The roads in that area have literally been torn up and will need major reconstruction."

The county council emergency planning unit worked with social services, education staff and volunteers to set up an emergency rest centre at Lady Lumley School in Pickering. About 50 people, mainly motorcyclists from the Duncombe Park rally at Helmsley, spent the night at the centre. They were taken back to Helmsley the following day.

In Thirsk, where properties in Finkle Street and Ingramgate were the worst affected, complaints were levelled at the Environment Agency for the lack of a flood warning.

Coun Freda Roberts, of Thirsk Town Council, said: "The system is not up to scratch. But I have never seen the water in Cod Beck rise as fast. It came up in a matter of minutes."

Thirsk School was put on standby as a reception centre but was not needed. Though the school was unaffected, not all pupils were able to get there because of transport problems from outlying areas.

Social services staff made as many checks as possible on older people who receive home care, but faced transport problems. Where it was not possible to make home visits, telephone checks were conducted.

County council chief executive, John Marsden, speaking for all agencies involved, said: "The flash floods have had a devastating effect on many small communities. I know many people's lives have been ruined by Sunday's events and our thoughts are with them.

l High temperatures have raised concern about public health. Animals were swept away and carcases continue to be discovered on the banks of rivers and becks. There have been complaints about smells.

RSPCA inspector Geoff Edmond, speaking from Hawnby on Wednesday, said: "This is of great concern. These carcases have to be found, and when they are we will dispose of them."

The Environment Agency said it had teams combing watercourses for debris which could cause pollution or further flooding problems.

* Officers from Hambleton District Council are working with local people to clean silt and debris from becks and streams. They have also joined forces on a mass litter-pick of fields where personal possessions were washed by floods and efforts will be made to match them to their owners.

Extra rubbish skips and wheelie bins have been sent out, help offered in removing rubbish and advice given on insurance claims and health issues.

In the Sutton under Whitestonecliffe area, 35 homes were flooded and ten are now uninhabitable. Fifty were affected in Thirsk and 20 are still cut off in Thirlby after the road collapsed.