Storm force winds have been lashing the region over the last week but the district has escaped the worst effects.

The river Aire has burst its bank along much of its length between Keighley and Skipton and beyond, turning the meadow land into paddy fields.

Storm waters have been surging through all four arches of Kildwick bridge, usually the river is confined to just one.

Livestock, especially sheep, have had to move on to higher ground.

But despite the high water the Environment Agency reports that there has been no serious flooding of homes.

Three years ago it spent £900,000 on flood defences at Stockbridge, Keighley, to prevent wide scale flooding which had plagued the valley.

Only five years ago, 400 people living in the area were swept from their homes - some unable to return for more than a year - when the River Aire burst its banks.

Homes in Shipley and further up stream in South Craven were also hit.

A Department of Environment spokeswoman said officers were keeping an alert eye on the situation given that the forecast was for more rain.

But so far the district had escaped any severe problems.

"We had a flood watch alert, the lowest on the scale, for upper Airedale towards Skipton, but apart from that things have been fine.

"Water levels in the rivers are high and we will be keeping an eye on the situation," she said.

Firefighters too are on alert but so far there have been no major emergency flood calls in the wider Bradford area.

But their colleagues in North Yorkshire rescued a woman driver trapped by floodwater in Pale Lane, Carleton, near Skipton, on Tuesday. The water was up to the car window. Elsewhere they helped to remove sheep from a field near Carleton Bridge and pumped out the ground floor of a house at Kilnsey, after the river Wharfe burst its banks. Despite the torrential wind and rain, temperatures have remained marginally higher than normal for the time of year.

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has just published the new planning policy statement for England, which strengthens and clarifies policy on developments and flood risk.

It means local planning authorities must now consult the EA before making any decisions on new development.

Barbara Young, chief executive of the Environment Agency, said: "The risk of flooding is ever present. We need to make sure homes - particularly for those which are vulnerable - are built in a safe place and that people and the environment are protected."

One way to avoid creating a problem for the future was to work with Government and local authorities to avoid inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding, and to direct development away from those areas at highest risk, she added.