ALTHOUGH the weather improved slightly yesterday, residents were still trying to keep water from their homes in a part of Teesside.

Staff from Stockton Borough Council staff were out in force at the Clarences, on the outskirts of Billingham, in a bid to keep "significant flooding" at bay.

Pumping equipment was introduced to clear blocked drains after days of heavy rain, as workers stacked sandbags by the side of the main road through High and Port Clarence to steer water away from homes and into drains which are able to cope with the flow.

A number of manhole covers were lifted in order to allow water to flow more freely.

The covers were marked with poles in order to alert members of the public to the fact they are approaching an open manhole.

The River Tees at Yarm peaked at 2am yesterday, and levels have been reducing since then.

There was flooding at Cowpen Bewley, near Billingham, but it is passable with care