THE River Ouse in York had risen to 4.41 metres above normal summer levels by 9.30am today - with the Environment Agency expecting it to peak at 4.6 metres by lunchtime. 

The agency's latest flood warning followed heavy rain in the Dales catchment over the weekend, caused by Storm Dennis.

A separate agency projection showed that the Ouse would peak at 4.5 metres at 10.45am, with levels remaining broadly stable for the rest of today.

The agency itself stresses that its predictions aren't always right, stating: "Forecasts contain uncertainty and can change frequently."

On Saturday evening, it was forecasting that the Ouse could rise to 5.2 metres - similar to the floods of 2015 - or, in a worst case scenario, 5.4 metres, which would have matched the all-time record set in 2000.