Filey inshore lifeboat was taken into the town to rescue eight adults trapped in the swimming pool at Filey School and another eight people who were stuck in their houses in Seadale.

There was damage in dozens of homes and businesses in various parts of Filey after the town was hit by monsoon-style rain early yesterday afternoon.

Several inches of rain fell on the town within a few hours and the water was reported to be waist deep in places.

At one stage both main roads into Filey were closed and the A165 Scarborough to Bridlington road was impassable with many locals left stranded on the outskirts of the town.

Scarborough Council's emergency planning officers raced to Filey to try to assist with the initial rescue effort, backed up by staff from the highways and street scene services.

A total of 33 residents had to be evacuated from their homes and the Concert Hall in the Evron Centre was turned into a makeshift emergency venue for residents who had to evacuate their homes.

A spokeswoman for the council said: "The hall has been equipped with camp beds and also boilers to provide hot drinks for flood victims."

Filey School in Muston Road, which has 800 pupils, had to be closed as gallons of water flooded into classrooms and other buildings. The school is unlikely to open until next week.

Firefighters, RNLI, coastguards and police were all involved in trying to deal with the chaos. Muston Road, one of the main roads into Filey, had to be closed off by police at one stage, and the other main road into the town, Scarborough Road, was only passable with extreme care.

By teatime about 100 residents had contacted the fire service seeking help. Buses to and from Filey were cancelled and a limited service was operating between Scarborough and Hunmanby by way of the A64, Flixton and Folkton.

Keith Featherstone, 66, was trapped inside his Brigg Road bungalow with his wife Valerie, 66. He said: "My home is under 3ft of water. It came through the doors and up the bath and toilet. Everything is ruined. It's heartbreaking. It was very scary. I tried to open the front door, but it would not budge."

North Yorkshire Fire Service received 154 calls in five hours. Ten pumps attended, five specials and two high volume pumping appliances from Richmond and Harrogate.