DAYS of heavy rain put rivers and becks on high flood alert yesterday, giving many residents a sleepless night as they watched the waters rising near their homes.

Parts of North Yorkshire were badly hit, with Northallerton, Thirsk and Brompton all being placed on an Environment Agency flood warning in the early hours of the morning.

The warnings were later downgraded to a flood watch as the water levels started to recede.

But with showery rain being forecast for the rest of the week, residents were warned to stay on their guard.

Cod Beck peaked at 3pm yesterday in Dalton, near Thirsk. It was 3.69 metres above its normal level and rose to within a few feet of many properties, including a number of sheltered flats for elderly people.

One resident of the Waterside flats, who did not want to be named, said: "The water woke me up at about 5am and it was coming up pretty rapidly then. It wasn't calm water that was rising either, it was coming in waves and it was really rough."

Brompton beck, in Brompton, near Northallerton, peaked at 5am at 1.56 metres above its normal level.

Stewart Chapman, who lives in Water End, Brompton, said: "The water came up on the bank at about 3.30am. People were up then wondering what was going to happen. There were a few people out checking the water and lights were on in the lowest properties.

"As far as I am aware, I don't think there are any houses flooded, but the water was out across the road at one point."

Lustrum Beck, in Stockton, was also placed on a flood warning and Cleveland, Darlington and the North York Moors were put on flood watch in the early hours of yesterday.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: "We have not had any reports of property flooding. We are not expecting any major problems and we are not expecting to issue any more flood warnings.

"The current flood warnings may be in place for a couple of days before the river levels start going down."

Meanwhile, the wet weather has delayed construction work on the new A1.

A 500-tonne bridge was to have been lifted into place over the dual carriageway on the edge of Wetherby, North Yorkshire, on Saturday and leaflets were distributed in the area to warn motorists the road would be closed.

But the preparatory work has been delayed due to the weather and the bridge section will now be installed overnight between Saturday, May 8 and Sunday, May 9.

Highways Agency spokesman Alistair Snart said: "We will continue to do our utmost to give the public as much advance notice as possible of any changes to the work schedule, in order to minimise inconvenience."

The £245m upgrade of the A1, between Darrington and Dishforth, is due to be completed by 2006.