HIGH winds and driving rain caused havoc across the North-East and North Yorkshire last night.

Trees were uprooted, blocking roads, rivers burst their banks, cars and lorries were buffeted by 70mph gusts, electricity cables were felled and 6,000 homes were left without power.

Last night, multiple agencies warned the situation could get worse with more heavy rain and gale force winds forecast today.

Yesterday, the A66 was closed to high-sided vehicles between Scotch Corner, in North Yorkshire, and Cumbria, but police said a lane of the westbound carriageway had to be closed after a lorry driver ignored the restrictions and his vehicle was blown over.

The Newton Cap viaduct, in Bishop Auckland, County Dur-ham, was also closed to lorries, while on the East Coast Main Line trains were running up to half-an-hour late.

Several rivers in the region flooded, and many more threatened to burst their banks.

In the Yorkshire Dales, firefighters rescued two people from their car after it started to fill with water in flooding on the A684 near Hawes, in Wensleydale.

Last night, the Environment Agency put many areas across the region on a flood warning, while flood watch warnings were in place for Cleveland, Durham, Piercebridge, near Darlington, Bishop Auckland and Chester-le-Street, both County Durham, and Darlington.

In North Yorkshire they were also issued for Swaledale, Wensleydale, Gargrave, Skipton, Nidderdale and the Vale of York.

Six thousands Northern Electric (NEDL) customers were cut off when heavy winds caused trees and debris to bring down powerlines.

NEDL said its engineers had worked around the clock to restore power to all those affected, although some people in Wooler, near Hexham, in Northumberland, had no electricity from 1am until after 6pm.

Winds dropped during the afternoon, but were expected to pick up to 70mph overnight and today.

Meanwhile, road users across the region are being urged to take extra care on the roads over the next few days.

Inspector Dave Kennedy, of Durham Police, said: "The advice is to leave a greater distance between yourself and the car in front and expect journeys to take longer, so plan accordingly.

"Expect the unexpected, you may drive around a corner to find a fallen tree or branch blocking the road."

The Highways Agency urged drivers to slow down and keep their distance, especially with the possibility of fog, standing water and spray reducing visibility.