Bradford was today on flood alert after 80 per cent of August's average rain fell in just 24 hours.

Trains were cancelled, roads closed and rivers swollen as the rain lashed the district.

Flood warnings were issued for 13 areas and Yorkshire Water received 2,500 calls from concerned householders about flooding when normally it would receive just 150 a day.

Bradford Council also set up a 24-hour emergency control room to deal with flooding calls.

The Environment Agency issued flood warnings for the River Aire at Apperley Bridge, Bingley, Cottingley, Crossflatts, Esholt and Shipley. There were also warnings at Carleton and Cononley near Skipton, and central Gargrave,

Flood warnings were also in force for the River Wharfe at Denton Road, Ilkley and Bolton Bridge near Bolton Abbey.

Train services between Bradford Forster Square, Ilkley, Skipton and Leeds were suspended during the morning rush hour because of flooding, but were back to normal this afternoon.

Commuters on their way to work were stranded when trains were stopped, affecting stations including Saltaire, Shipley, Keighley and Frizinghall.

A spokesman for Railtrack said the services were suspended because Guiseley station, Thackley tunnel and Harper's Bridge, between Cononley and Skipton, were flooded. The line was reopened at 10.50am, but a 5mph speed restriction was in force for trains passing through Guiseley station.

Forecaster Liz Anetts, of PA Weathercentre, said 56mm of rain fell in Bingley in the 24 hours up to 6am today - 77.7 per cent of the August average for Bradford of 72mm.

"It's going to stay cloudy with some rain through the rest of the day but the rain is going to ease," she said.

But she did offer a glimmer of hope.

"Tomorrow will stay mainly dry with one or two showers but weather should be a lot better over the weekend."

A spokesman for AA Roadwatch said the A65 was closed at Ben Rhydding, as well as the A660 between Otley and Burley-in-Wharfedale and the A659 in Otley town centre to Pool.

Drivers were advised to cut their speed and increase stopping distances and the AA's rescue service reported many more calls than usual, including from drivers stuck in floods.

Firefighters received reports of flooding in Skipton, Silsden, Otley, Addingham, Menston, Ilkley and Bingley and the pedestrian underpass at Shipley train station was flooded.

Ilkley tennis tournament was cancelled today because of flooding on the courts and Ilkley lido was closed due to the heavy rainfall.

A Bradford Council spokesman said: "We are assessing the situation and we are hopeful that if the rain subsides the pool will be ready to reopen by next weekend."

Bradford and Bingley Rugby Club at Wagon Lane, Bingley, saw its pitches also underwater today.

Paul Watson, caretaker of Ashlands Primary School on the A65, said: "It was quite bad first thing, but the flooding seems to have settled down a bit now.

"The traffic was very slow this morning. Outside the school there is still about six or seven inches of water, on the other side of the road, going towards Burley, it seems to be just normal surface water."

Barbara Varney lives in Ilkley but commutes to Leeds, where she works for Norwich Union. She said this morning's journey took her two hours.

"My husband set off from home at about 7.15am to get a train to Bradford and only got as far as Menston, they had to get off the train and onto buses," she said.

"He called me and told me not to get the train. I had to get two buses to get into Leeds and it took me two hours."

Mrs Varney's house is next to the River Wharfe.

"Luckily the garden isn't flooded yet, but if it rains any more it will flood. It is just a brown swirling mass of water," she said.

(BLOB) Bradford Council's 24-hour emergency line for water calls is (01274) 431000.

E-mail: katie.baldwin@bradford.newsquest.co.uk