Tornado strikes north Yorkshire after heavy rain pelts the UK flooding homes and a causing a 'serious' landslip

• Firefighters spend six hours pumping water and save stranded driver

By Craig Mackenzie

PUBLISHED: 11:01 EST, 5 August 2012 | UPDATED: 11:03 EST, 5 August 2012

A tornado hit North Yorkshire today as overnight storms caused flooding and havoc across many parts of the UK.

The twister was pictured above woodland near Ravensworth, but there was no damage reported.

The South West was worst affected by the pelting rain with 14 flood alerts as homes and roads were hit in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset.

Twister: The swirling tornado is captured above woodland near Ravensworth, North Yorkshire today

Fire crews in North Somerset worked with rescue teams at a 'serious' landslip on a country lane to ensure that no-one had been trapped underneath the rocks, soil and debris.

Failand Lane in Portbury, near Bristol, was cleared after two hours. Last month two people were killed when a landslide engulfed their car in Beaminster, Dorset, and their bodies remained undiscovered for 10 days.

The emergency workers were helped by a local farmer with his tractor to clear a safe passage through the lane

Landslip: heavy rain caused rock, soil and debris to fall into the country lane in north Somerset

'This allowed one family that were trapped in their property by the slides to get access to and from the lane,' the fire service spokesman said.

About 80 calls for assistance were received by emergency services from residents in Nailsea on Saturday after their homes were flooded.

Firefighters spent six hours pumping water the homes from the town near Portishead.

Elsewhere across the south-west, six firefighters helped two people after their car became trapped in water on the A3072 at Redpost, near Bude, Cornwall.

Fire crews were also called to flooding incidents at a number of homes in Bideford and Holsworthy in Devon.

Trapped: A car remains stranded on a country lane just outside Whitland in Carmarthenshire after a driver is believed to have been rescued from the roof

Submerged: A vehicle is caught in a flash flood in Cullercoats, North Tyneside

In Wales, heavy rain is expected in Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Carmarthenshire, Wrexham, Gwynedd and Denbighshire.

The A477 between St Clears and Red Roses has been closed due to flooding and a fallen tree, and a replacement bus service for train passengers is in place between Carmarthen and Tenby.

In Northern England, properties and roads were hit after heavy showers moved across the Yorkshire Dales and Northumberland in the past 24 hours.

North Yorkshire Fire Service said they were first called to a flooded property at Little Ouseburn, near Boroughbridge at about 6.30pm and a house in Grewelthorpe, near Ripon, which had 2ft of water in the kitchen.

A spokesman said crews were then called to properties flooded on the main street in nearby Kirkby Malzeard and a restaurant in Harrogate.

At 8.50pm a crew from Masham came to the aid of a driver whose car had got stuck in flood water on Thorpe Road, in the village.

The Environment Agency has one flood warning in place for the River Hydfron in South Wales.

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