A major clear-up was continuing today after high winds and heavy rainfall battered parts of the Bradford district leaving trees uprooted, structures damaged and flood alerts in place.

Winds reached 75mph at Leeds-Bradford International Airport at 1am yesterday and in Bingley almost a third of the average rainfall for January fell in only 24 hours up to 11am yesterday.

Winds brought down part of a ten-foot high wall at Windhill Conservative Club, destroying a van and leaving rubble strewn across a road.

Maureen Axon, who lives nearby, said it looked as though there had been an “earthquake”. She added: “Someone could have been walking by when it happened, it is horrific.”

Marc Snowball, of Hope View, whose new Mercedes-Benz van was written off, said: “There’s bricks all over the roof, I’m devastated. It is my company vehicle and it’s the first one I’ve ever had a choice of colour and specifications on it, I was so excited to get it.”

Conservative Club secretary John Whitfield said it was working to clear the debris and had spoken to its insurer about Mr Snowball’s van.

Justin Booth, principal building control surveyor at Bradford Council, said: “Teams of building control surveyors from the Council have been out inspecting damage caused as a consequence of the high winds all over the district.

“The higher areas of Windhill and Wrose seem to be the worst affected.

“However, we have not come across anything major and, as far as we know, no-one has been injured.”

Thousands of householders have needed repairs and social housing group Incommunities said that they had experienced a significant increase in calls to their repair services centre.

“They have taken over 2,000 calls including reports of increased numbers of roof repairs and boiler problems due to the high winds,” the spokesman said.

“Our grounds maintenance team has dealt with nearly 30 calls regarding fallen or damaged trees on Incommunities land.”

Meanwhile the River Aire burst its banks near Silsden and flooded fields. Other stretches of the rivers Aire and Wharfe were put under flood alert, with levels expected to fall throughout yesterday. Some washlands and low-lying areas could be under water for several days, the Environment Agency said.

A tree was uprooted and fell across a pavement in Sutton Crescent, Tyersal, and at High Crags Primary School another tree brought down a wall and landed in the playground.

Three trees were brought down on the central reservation in Allerton Road, near Bradford Girls’ Grammar School, and another tree fell into a garden wall.

Bob Thorp, Bradford Council’s trees and woodlands manager, said the team had had 64 call-outs since Tuesday.

“We have been called out around the clock to ensure highways are kept clear and there is no threat to people or property,” he said. “We will be spending the next two weeks clearing up the debris.”

An elderly man was taken to hospital after falling into a ditch in Carleton, near Skipton, and in Heslaker Lane, Carleton, a woman driver had to swim to safety after she drove into floodwater.

Firefighters saved a woman trapped in a car in floodwater on Brackenley Lane, Embsay. They also pumped out four feet of floodwater from three properties on Bold Venture Street, Skipton.