By Mark Simpson BBC North of England correspondent

What no wellies? The prince took a boat trip round the village

It is not the most important question facing the flood-hit Yorkshire folk in Toll Bar, but it is the one causing the most bemusement.

The prince knew that the village had been under water for nine days, so why did he arrive wearing a grey pin-striped suit with a flower in his buttonhole, and shiny brown shoes?

It certainly made for a bizarre spectacle when he went to the water's edge and agreed to take a boat trip round the village.

Local postmaster John Jackson - a Captain Birdseye look-a-like if ever there was one - readily agreed to sail the boat and off they went.

"I'm the king of Toll Bar, and he's the next king of England, so why not?" said John, from underneath his soggy white sun hat.

You no longer need shoulder-high waders to walk from the deep end of the village to the shallow end Mark Simpson

The royal visit gave everyone something to smile about after the worst week of their lives.

But there is some simmering resentment.

"Where is Gordon Brown? He got a new house last week, but I lost mine. Why hasn't he come to have a look round?" asked one Toll Bar man, who is now living in nearby Adwick Leisure Centre with dozens of other homeless families.

Businesses are counting the cost too.

Mike Spiller, owner of international engineering firm Optima said the damage bill would be at least �300,000.

And besides the cost of repairs, what about the lost business?

"Our customers sound very sympathetic on the telephone. But the question they still ask is, of course, 'when are we going to get our goods?'"

It is a difficult question to answer. At the moment, the firm has no electricity. It is an anxious time for Mr Spiller and his 50 workers.

Some staff have endured a flooding 'double whammy', with their homes hit as well as their workplace.

John Jackson says he's the "king of Toll Bar"

What is more, their children cannot go to the local primary school because it will not re-open until September at the earliest.

At the moment it is still submerged, with computers, textbooks and artwork all floating around in the muddy, dirty water.

The flood water is being pumped out of Toll Bar at the rate of seven million litres an hour.

Fire crews from all over the country are working together, using 16 different pumps. By Wednesday morning, the water level in the centre of the village had gone down to a couple of feet.

You no longer need shoulder-high waders to walk from the deep end of the village to the shallow end.

You can now do it in your wellies...presuming of course you have a pair.