Freak weather caused chaos in Bradford last night after sudden heavy rain and hailstorms led to flash flooding.

Firefighters were called to Oakroyd Terrace and Woodview, Manningham , where several inches of hail had fallen, forcing residents in about a dozen homes to evacuate.

Patson Jamu, 25, a resident in a basement flat, said he had to ‘swim’ through a window to escape after water gushed into the property.

He said: “I was asleep and the next thing I knew the house was flooded. The main door wouldn’t open so I had to swim through a window. I was scared, it just came from nowhere. All my stuff is ruined.”

Part of Frizinghall Road was closed to traffic, close to the junction with Emm Lane, after water swept through a ground floor flat in Keighley Road.

The water, which was believed to have been several feet high, destroyed an internal wall, lifted block paving from the rear driveway and forced the back door from its hinges.