More than 100 flood warnings in place after deluge

Parts of Yorkshire and the Midlands are waking up to their wettest day in years, with flooding and home evacuations having continued overnight.

After regions were hit with traffic chaos amid road closures on Thursday, more of the same was expected for several areas in the Friday morning rush hour after the deluge continued for much of the night.

A total of 116 flood warnings remain in place, mostly in Yorkshire, a Met Office spokesman said.

The Met Office has predicted the flooding rains will clear and move south-east by lunchtime, but many flood warnings are expected to remain in place for the next few days.

On Thursday, 35 homes were evacuated as a precaution in Mansfield after a mudslide in the area, while hundreds of people were kept inside Sheffield's Meadowhall shopping centre due to flooded roads and gridlocked traffic outside.

Meadowhall, which flooded in 2007, had to cancel its Christmas Live event at the last minute on Thursday night, but after many of the thousands of people expected to attend had arrived.

While many of those inside managed to leave despite a partially flooded car park, some were forced to spend the night in the shopping centre, according to police.

With many surrounding routes flooded and trams stopping short of the complex due to "heavy rain putting the Tinsley tram bridge at risk", gridlock led to police advising shoppers and concert goers to stay in the building.

South Yorkshire Police said there had been "significant issues" in Doncaster, with Bentley, Toll Bar and Scawthorpe the worst affected areas.

The River Don was among the worst affected, having flooded the Rotherham railway station and other areas.

Police were also called to the Parkgate Shopping Park in Rotherham last night after shoppers were trapped inside due to flood waters.

South Yorkshire Police tweeted that they were working to move "a number of people" who were stranded in the complex to "a place of safety", with boats called into action to help those inside escape.

The highest rainfall in the country on Thursday was recorded at Swineshaw in the Peak District, which had 112 millimetres in the 24 hours to 2am.

"There were a lot of other places that had 80 millilitres or more, especially in Yorkshire," a Met Office spokesman said.

"The rains should clear by lunchtime, with a fine weekend ahead, but the flood warnings will stay in place for quite a while."

Nottinghamshire Police said officers were called to Bank End Close in Mansfield alongside the fire service and Mansfield District Council just before 5pm on Thursday following concerns for the safety of people living their.

Some of the most dramatic scenes were in Sheffield and Rotherham where a number of roads were left impassable to traffic, with cars stranded in floodwater and gridlock resulting on many routes.

A number of houses were evacuated after they were inundated in the village of Whiston, near Rotherham, and, in Sheffield, the council closed Millhouses Park, where a 14-year-old boy was swept to his death in the River Sheaf during the devastating floods in the city in 2007.