ONLY the desperate efforts of dozens of firefighters operating five separate pumps managed to prevent the County Durham village of Lanchester from serious flooding yesterday.

And last night the environment agency was keeping a close eye on the Lanchester situation, as the River Browney continued to rise slightly.

The number of pumps deployed in the village had fallen, from five pumps clearing up to 10,000 litres a minute during the crisis hours between about 6am and 8am yesterday, to two pumps last night.

The River Browney had not breached its banks, but the drains had been unable to cope with the rain pouring off hills surrounding the village.

St Bede's RC Comprehensive School has been closed all week and will not reopen until at least tomorrow.

Belmont Comprehensive School, near Durham, will be open to Year 10 and 11 pupils only today, while Durham Johnston School will be closed today at both its Whinney Hill and Crossgate Moor sites.

Oxclose Community School, Washington, Wearside, was due to reopen this morning.

A collapsed drain was blamed for flooding in Station Road, Hetton-le-Hole, Wearside, where one home was flooded for the second time this week.

A waterlogged pitch led to the cancellation of an international football match in the region. A team of Northumbria Police officers had been due to take on a team of asylum seekers in Wallsend, Newcastle, yesterday.

Water levels in Ponteland, Northumberland, one of the worst-affected areas in the north of the region, were subsiding last night.

l Greencroft Comprehensive in Annfield Plain, County Durham and Shiney Row Primary schools, both suffered major flooding problems yesterday. Greencroft Comprehensive will be closed today due to flooding causing damage to school boiler. Firefighters were expected to work into the night to clear flooded cellars at Shiney Row Primary