GALE force winds of up to 100 miles an hour wreaked havoc across Craven.

Hundreds of residents were affected by strong winds which hit the area over the weekend, with many villages left to cope without electricity and water for hours and, in some cases, days.

Police and fire services were inundated with calls about fallen trees, debris, and power lines.

And many areas were hit with flash floods causing further chaos on the roads.

On Saturday, North Yorkshire Police dealt with 601 emergency calls - more than twice its normal number.

In addition, 2,241 non-emergency calls were received - again twice the normal number.

The most frequent problems reported were debris on the road, floods, roads blocked by trees, damaged buildings and no electricity.

The A65 was closed between Long Preston and Austwick on Friday night and Saturday morning due to flooding.

In Settle, the road beneath Ingfield railway bridge on Skipton Road was flooded to a depth of about three feet. Fire crews were called out to rescue drivers who had become trapped in the floodwater.

Further flooding was reported on the A59 either side of Skipton and on the A629 at Kildwick where the traffic problems were exacerbated by a blown over lorry on the river bridge.

In Wharfedale, a flood warning was issued on the River Wharfe at Bolton Abbey and downstream at Addingham.

There, the old Ilkley Road was closed because of flooding and the weir at Low Mill was completely submerged by the surging water.

Addingham Parish Council chairman Gordon Campbell said that flooding was confined to the old Ilkley Road, but other damage, such as trees being blown over, had occurred in the village.

The gales also brought a dramatic end of the festive season in Skipton, toppling the Christmas tree still standing outside the town hall and damaging decorative lights around the town.