A 93-YEAR-OLD woman had to be rescued by dinghy as flooding hits parts of Derbyshire following heavy rain on Friday night.

The worst-hit place was Ashbourne where a number of residents were evacuated or forced upstairs in their houses after the River Henmore burst its banks.

The pensioner, living in Coachmans Close, was rescued by firefighters during the early hours of Saturday morning with nearby residents in Coopers Gardens also being evacuated after fears the rising water would see them trapped in their homes.

Firefighters helped pump out the cellar at the Berrisford Arms in King Edward Street, along with properties in Green Lane and Mayfield Road.

And the high water levels made both the A52 at Mayfield and the A515 at the Sturston Road and Belper Road junction in Ashbourne almost impassable.

A flood warning, the second most severe flood alert, was issued for Egginton after the roads into the village were flooded, cutting it off to all but 4x4 vehicles.

The road from Duffield to Milford, across Duffield Bank, was closed after flooding at its junction with the road to Eaton Bank.

Met Office forecaster Neil Armstrong said the wet weather would ease off ovenight and on Sunday.

He said: "The area of low pressure is going to start drifting away eastwards and hopefully it will take a lot of the heavy rain with it.

"There will be one or two showers overnight but nothing as heavy as today.

"There won't be much sun on Sunday. There will be a few showers, some heavy, but they will move through more quickly than today."

Severe flood warnings, the highest level of flood alert, which had been in place  on the River Wye from Buxton through to Rowsley were downgraded to a flood watch, the third most severe alert, in the afternoon, but flood warnings remained in place on the River Derwent right through Derby to the River Trent at Sawley.

Flooding was reported in Fenny Bentley and there was localised flooding in Mickleover, where one family spent the night trying to stop water getting in to their house.

There was also flooding at Etwall, Hatton, Stenson, Findern and Newton Solney.

Surface water on the A38 at Burnaston led to a collision between four vehicles at about 3am on Saturday.

No-one was hurt but the road remained closed until after 8am.

For more flood alert details see http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/flood/floodwarning/Midlands.html

* For more reports and pictures of the flooding, see Monday's Evening Telegraph.