Nice weather for ducks (and swans)

Parts of York were flooded yesterday after a weekend of heavy rainfall in North Yorkshire. Only last week the Yorkshire Flood Defence Committee decided to defer schemes to combat flooding in York, Leeds and Thirsk. The Leeds scheme alone would have cost £180m.

Meanwhile, the Met Office has issued a warning of heavy rain and snow across parts of southern and central Scotland. The alert covers Strathclyde, Lothian and Borders, Dumfries and Galloway and central Tayside and Fife. Heavy rain is expected to give way to snow, with up to 20cm (8in) possible on higher ground.