Residents wade through thick mud left by the flood

Twenty holiday cottages, a campsite and houses were flooded after freak heavy downpours ripped through Helmsley.

The main route into the village is closed after the access bridge was swept away.

Ann Hudspith said when the water started to rise she felt vulnerable thinking back to what happened in Boscastle last August.

The Cornish village was overwhelmed by a 10ft (3 metre) wall of water after 3in (77mm) of rain fell in two hours.

How flash floods occur

On Monday, Ms Hudspith, who was on holiday in Helmsley, said: "We overlook the river and it didn't look too bad and then all of a sudden it started to rise.

"We saw trees, canisters, everything floating down the river and it was very fast.

"Bearing in mind Boscastle with the houses and the devastation we felt a bit vulnerable and packed the cases, but it rose so quickly we just got out."

Peter Gibb, from Carrickfergus, was taking part in a motorbike rally and was staying on a campsite in the village when the flood started.

"We got a phone call from one of the organisers who was further up the site, telling us to get out of the tent and get our bikes to safety as quick as possible because there was a wall of water coming," he said.

"So we jumped on our bikes and rode down the side as quickly as we could - there was a four foot wall of water that chased me the whole way down the site.

"I was able to pull up onto a path and the water just swept past pulling cars and all sorts, portaloos, caravans, livestock and sheep, you name it."