A CHILDREN'S hospital ward was disrupted and fire crews across the region were deluged with hundreds of emergency calls after heavy thunderstorms sparked flash flooding last night.
Firefighters and local authorities were kept busy in County Durham after roads were deluged and temporarily closed in Bishop Auckland, Sedgefield, Kirk Merrington and Spennymoor, but there were no reports of damage to properties.
Dirty water from a flooded car park at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, found its way into the children's ward.
A hospital spokesman said the incident had caused "minor disruption", closing the unit to new admissions overnight and prompting a move for less-poorly older children to other wards. A clean-up operation will start this morning.
Emergency crews were called to scenes of flooding across the North Yorkshire, mainly involving blocked roads.
Elsewhere, Cleveland Fire Brigade was flat out tackling "several hundred" flooding calls across Teesside following the storms, which hit from about 6pm. Homes are thought to have suffered damage in parts of Middlesbrough and Hartlepool
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