IT MAY well be the summer solstice later this week, but the North-East and North Yorkshire are still waiting for the good weather to arrive.

On Friday evening, most of the region was hit by thunder storms and flash floods and there does not seem to be any sign of prolonged hot weather on the horizon.

Following a torrential downpour that lasted for about an hour, many roads in the region were blocked by standing water, with some even damaged in the deluge.

Fire crews worked flat out across Teesside, tackling 149 calls between 6.30pm and midnight. In North Yorkshire, crews were called mainly to blocked roads.

The worst hit area was Skipton, where some homes were deluged. The children's ward at Northallerton's Friarage Hospital was also affected by floodwater.

On Teesside, most of the problems were recorded in the Seaton Carew, Billingham and Whinny Banks areas.

The cellar of The Swan pub, in Wolviston Road, Billingham, was flooded with 12in to 18in of water, but it had drained away completely by Saturday morning.

Gardens in the town's Grosvenor Road were also badly affected by water and Marsh House Avenue was flooded across both sections of the road.

Flooding closed Park Road North, in Middlesbrough, which runs alongside Albert Park, near its junction with Park Vale Road.

Ladgate Lane in the town, was blocked when a tree blew down near the municipal golf course.

Residents in Hemlington also reported that high winds had uprooted trees and blown down brick walls.

The heavy rain affected motorists in Darlington, although police said they were not forced to close any roads.

Inspector Ian Coates, of Darlington police, said that although there had been a massive amount of surface water during Friday night, no roads had been deemed impassable.

The worst-hit areas were parts of Coniscliffe Road and Grange Road.

Insp Coates said: "There was a lot of rainfall, which made driving very tricky, but none of the roads were completely flooded and, thankfully, we were not forced to close any of them in the town."

A spokeswoman for the PA Weather Centre said: "It has been unsettled recently and has not been a typical summer. A frontal system had been travelling the country on Friday and the North-East seemed to get the brunt of it on the night.

"These kind of storms are not really that regular at that intensity.

"They are an infrequent occurrence. It is wetter than average so far this month in some parts."