No Covid fines for residents who need to evacuate due to flooding - say North Yorkshire Police
Some families may need to evacuate their homes because of Storm Christoph
North Yorkshire Police have said they won't issue fines to those who need to mix households to escape flood waters, as Storm Christoph descends on Harrogate and the Dales.
Flood warnings are in place across the county, including at the River Nidd at Low Laithe.
Levels on the River Nidd are rising at Pateley Bridge and residents are being warned the river levels will react to the persistent and heavy rain forecast over the coming days. Flooding of farmlands and roads is expected.
Click here for the latest travel disruption for the area.
Homes may need to be evacuated if the rivers continue to swell, and North Yorkshire Police have said that fines won't be issued to those who need to mix households to avoid the rising water levels.
Chief Inspector, Charlotte Bloxham, said: "We are looking to plan for evacuation and shelters. We're not saying it's a possibility at the moment, but we need to make sure we have those measures in place as they can't be brought in very quickly.
"We know we don't want people to be mixing households as it could mean transmitting the virus, but if someone is facing an emergency at that place and time, then we're not going to be enforcing any of the covid rules.
"It's a priority in terms of their health and wellbeing that they have somewhere safe and secure to stay.
"The last thing that we want is for a three day event to lead to a significant increase in the covid rates. We don't want people who are self isolating or covid positive to be mixing households, but we ask people to seriously consider where they would be staying and who they could potentially pass the virus onto.
"We've done well to start bringing the infection rate down across the county during the lockdown and we don't want to ruin that."
An amber warning has been issued for majority of Yorkshire, with around 200mm of rain expected to fall on higher ground between Wednesday and Friday this week.
Things are expected to change rapidly so members of the public are encouraged to check flood warnings regularly.
There are worries if people become stranded in flood waters it could put additional strain on the emergency services.
Chief Inspector Charlotte Bloxham is urging people to not travel unless their journey is essential.
She said: "The roads will be very wet and it'll be very dangerous driving in those conditions. That can put additional pressure on our emergency services, particuarly the NHS who are already struggling because of the pandemic.
"Any unnecessary travel could potentially spread the virus too. If you become stuck and you need someone to respond to you, it's increasing that contact between people.
"It could be passed onto the emergency responders who are called out to assist and that means they won't be able to carry out their own job. We want to maintain the level of support we're at in the community and we need the community to help us do that by staying home."
The Environment Agency are urging people to avoid walking or driving through flood water for fear of getting stranded.
Area Flood Risk Manager for the Environment Agency in Yorkshire, Adrian Gill, told Greatest Hits Radio: "The rain is falling on already saturated ground, so we expect rivers to respond and that to unfortunately to cause significant disruption across the region.
"To those in the most at-risk areas of flooding, think about what really matters, what will you do if you have to leave home, what important things to take upstairs and what important things to take with you. Simple things like that can help you to prepare if the worst thing happens.
"We've unfortunately seen a lot of flooding in recent years, especially in Yorkshire. Sadly for many of the communities that have been flooded before, they are at an increased risk. I fully understand why people are feeling anxious at this uncertain time."