A DOZEN elderly people had to be rescued from their homes yesterday after floods struck once again.

The Environment Agency placed a number of flood warnings on rivers throughout the North-East and North Yorkshire, as waters continued to rise.

Firefighters were called to help evacuate people from their homes and holiday chalets at a caravan park, in York Road, Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, just after 1pm.

Four residents were taken by police to the town's King James's School because they had nowhere else to stay, while another eight were collected by family and friends.

Bruce Reid, Sub-Officer in charge at Knaresborough fire station, said water levels on the River Nidd had been rising steadily for days.

"The river eventually burst its banks and flooded the caravan park. The people there said they thought it would get to a point and start subsiding, but unfortunately it did not - it got worse," he said.

North Yorkshire was on alert throughout the day, with flood warnings in place in the centre of York, on the River Skell at Ripon, the River Ure at Masham, and the Nidd at Pateley Bridge.

Residents of Kirby Wiske and the Brompton-on-Swale caravan park, near Richmond, were also warned of rising waters.

Elsewhere in the country, the Environment Agency said two severe flood warnings were in place on the River Wharfe, affecting the West Yorkshire towns of Ilkley and Otley. The river rose to about 3m higher than normal.

A total of 49 other flood warnings were issued across West and North Yorkshire, including areas around the rivers Aire, Calder, Ouse, Swale, Ure and Worth.

Although further rain is expected today, weather forecasters predicted a ''much improved'' outlook for the rest of the week.

A Press Association WeatherCentre spokesman said there would be patchy rain today, with drier and brighter weather on its way as high pressure moves in.