FLOODS have paralysed areas of the North-East, bringing life in parts of water-logged Teesside to a virtual standstill.

Schools and roads across east Cleveland were closed yesterday, while hundreds face a challenge getting into work this morning.

"It's almost impossible to move around the borough,'" said a spokesman for Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council yesterday. "As the day has progressed, the situation has gone downhill."

Yarm High Street was closed last night, after the Tees rose six inches in just 20 minutes.

Cleveland Police warned businesses and families to move to upper floors as the waterway threatened to breach the town's flood defences.

Motorists were urged to move their vehicles off the High Street, after the Environment Agency warned water levels would top those which came close to breaching the town's flood walls last Friday.

About 100 people were told to leave their homes in the floods-devastated town of Skinningrove between Sunday night and Monday morning - as that community was threatened with a tide of flood water.

Skinningrove's flood walls held against a high tide - but it was touch-and-go.

A council spokesman said: "The water levels were very high and came close to breaching the defences; but they did not and started to recede albeit, slightly.

"Residents who have not wanted to move have been encouraged to do so because of the situation."

Redcar and Cleveland council last night advised schools in Loftus, Skelton, Brotton, Boosbeck, Lingdale and Carlin How to close today. Ten schools in Redcar and Marske will also be closed today.

Flooding led to the closure of six schools across east Cleveland and an early finish for a total of 26 schools yesterday.

Hundreds of council workers living in flood-hit areas of east Cleveland were allowed to leave work early yesterday, as flexi-time was suspended in the housing, education, and social services departments.

Homes in the village of Charltons, near Guisborough, were at risk when a sandbag barrier collapsed. The council prepared to open the nearby Margrove Heritage Centre as a rest centre, but a threatened crisis did not materialise.

The council patrolled the Lakes Estate, Redcar, every 15 minutes in a four-wheel drive vehicle to monitor rising water levels. The Redcar Bowl leisure centre was earmarked as a possible evacuation centre, but again the threat passed.

There were 13 road closures across east Cleveland last night.