Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service's Control Room received more than 1,500 calls yesterday (Thursday 28 June) between 3.30pm and midnight following flash flooding on Tyneside.
Firefighters attended more than 150 incidents as a result of the storm, mainly flooding incidents with some people needing rescuing.
Some of the incidents fire crews attended included:
Pumping out water from a data storage facility on Fifth Avenue Business Park, Team Valley, Gateshead. Water was pumped out on an ongoing basis for approximately four hours to avoid damage to critical IT server equipment.
The fire boat was in attendance at Brantwood Avenue in West Monkseaton to assist in the evacuation of people from their homes.
Seven people including two infants were rescued from Green Lane Gardens in Felling, Gateshead. An Airtrack system was used to provide a bridge from the front doors to garden gates.
Chief Fire Officer Tom Capeling, Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, said: "I would like to praise our staff for their professionalism and the public for their patience. Understandably our crews were extremely busy during the period of the torrential rain and throughout most of the night, working alonsgide colleagues in the other emergency services and in the local authorities. Fire crews attended a wide range of incidents, including a property struck by lighting, houses being flooded and people trapped in vehicles.
The clean up operation continued today with firefighters pumping water from various locations throughout Tyne and Wear, including Bedewell Primary School in Hebburn.
