DEPUTY Prime Minister John Prescott has announced a review of emergency procedures after Britain was crippled by the worst storms for a decade.

Mr Prescott told the Commons that the storm should serve as a "wake-up call for everyone". The Deputy Prime Minister told MPs: "Our infrastructure should be robust enough and our preparations rigorous enough to withstand the kind of weather we have just experienced."

In York, the level of the River Ouse peaked in the early hours, as water from the previous day's storms moved downstream. The floods were not as bad as had been feared, but motorists were still warned to stay out of the city centre today.

Nationwide, at least six people have now died as a result of the storms. Rivers throughout England and Wales were on flood alert as the Environment Agency said the danger could last for a week.

Agency staff visited homes throughout York to advise residents to move furniture to upper rooms. Water from the Ouse also got into an electrical sub-station near the Emperor's Wharf building on Skeldergate, leaving 600 homes and businesses without power.

About 50 people had to be rescued from the new Emperor's Wharf hotel by firefighters.

Meanwhile, 20 Army families were forced out of their homes at Alanbrooke Barracks, Topcliffe, by the latest flooding.

They were being re-homed in empty houses at the barracks yesterday, but Army chiefs have been warned that a further 20 houses could be at risk.

Firefighters rescued 24 people from a caravan park site on York Road, Knaresborough.

Three elderly people also had to be saved from flooded property on Borrage Lane, Ripon.

A 24-hour emergency centre was set up in Ryedale to deal with flood inquiries, with River Derwent water levels expected to peak in the Malton and Norton areas tomorrow.

The Environment Agency's director of water management, Geoff Mance, said: "The big rivers are still rising and we have heavy rain forecast for tomorrow evening so we will see further flooding this week."

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