A huge mopping-up operation took place across the Bradford district today as flood waters retreated.

But many businesses and home and car owners were continuing to count the cost today of the latest flood damage.

United Carpets in Baildon Bottom had felt the full brunt of the deluge, leaving staff shin deep in water and an estimated tens of thousands of pounds of ruined stock.

Floodwater had also submerged about a dozen cars in Shipley.

One commuter, Manraj Mand, of Wrose, saw pictures of his Audi in yesterday's Telegraph & Argus and rushed to the scene, at Low Well.

He said: "I read the article and saw the pictures in the T&A and came down. I was in absolute shock. I didn't think this was even a river - more like a little stream.

"When I came back, the water had gone, but I couldn't open the doors because the electrics had failed, so I had to unlock it manually."

A constant trickle of recovery lorries could be seen on the road throughout yesterday.

The car park of the George & Dragon pub, and the garden of a property in Apperley Lane, were no longer under water, but were covered in sludge.

Fresh drama developed in Allerton where residents were evacuated from an apartment block as an area off Stony Lane rapidly filled with 2,000 cubic metres of water, fed from water seeping down the hillside over the saturated ground, threatening to spill over into the new development.

A Bradford Council spokesman said: "A pipe which feeds excess water to Cottingley Beck is believed to be blocked, causing a build-up of water behind the bank.

"Stony Lane and Wilsden Road/Haworth Road junction area is closed until further notice and it is highly likely that traffic will experience some delays. Some bus services through to Wilsden and Harden are suspended due to the road closures." Police evacuated 13 people from their homes.

Ian Gilchrist, senior operations manager for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "The water in the lake is the equivalent to ten or 11 Olympic-size swimming pools. The crews are pumping it out at about 300,000 litres an hour.

"Eleven people have been evacuated from the new Croft House development and two more people from a neighbouring house."

Dramatic scenes were still taking place tonight as firefighters from Bingley, Stanningley and Harrogate worked around the clock.

A fire spokesman said crews were expected to continue the pumping over the next few days. Roads are expected to remain shut.

Engineers on the site tonight said tonnes of aggregate had been laid to try to channel the water.

Resident, Jean Watson, 65, of Grasleigh Way, said: "I've lived here for years and it's never been like this before. The water was pouring down and it did look like the bank would weaken."

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue service received 180 calls to reports of flooding between 8am on Monday and 5.30am yesterday. Firefighters had to pump water from properties at 20 separate incidents.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said parts of West Yorkshire had experienced 30 to 50 millimetres of rainfall since Monday, which is twice the average rainfall for the whole of January.

Flood warning levels for rivers across the district have now been downgraded.