OTLEY'S secondary school is closed today as the valley continues to recover from the dramatic weekend floods.
Wharfemeadows Park, several riverside roads and allotments were all covered in deep water on Sunday after heavy rain had caused the River Wharfe to overflow.
The flooding - which affected the cellars of a number of homes - also saw Otley Bridge closed as surface water shut Bridge Street, Farnley Lane, a sectino of Billams Hill and Newall Carr Road, and the A659 Pool Road.
Prince Henry's Grammar School, which is based on Farnley Lane, posted a notice up on its website on Sunday evening announcing it would be shut on November 16 "in view of the serious flooding".
The message continued: "This decision has been taken following advice from Leeds City Council which anticipates that these routes will continue to be closed on Monday morning.
"We currently anticipate that school will open as normal on Tuesday, November 17."
By Monday morning, however, most roads were open again and the river level had fallen sharply.
Councillor Colin Campbell (Lib Dem, Otley & Yeadon) said: "Sunday was one of those rare events when a combination of high winds and heavy rain caused the river to burst its banks.
"The flooding effectively closed Farnley Lane and the bottom of Billams Hill but most people took it in good part and accepted it - indeed there was a good community spirt in the town with many people bringing their children to see what, for many new residents, would be an unusual event.
"There were some issues around the late delivery of sandbags and the problems caused by 4x4s driving through the flood water and creating waves, which threatened to wash water into properties (not to mention knock children over),and I think we need to look at this for the future.
"Now water levels have subsided the ward councillors will be meeting with Leeds City Council officers to review the response to the flood and see how we can improve things when there is a recurrence.
"I would like to give a personal thanks to all the police officers who were on duty.
"They made every effort to ensure everyone's safety and managed to keep their good humour even after spending a couple of hours up to their knees in freezing river water.
"They were a credit to the force."
There had been equally dramatic weekend scenes in Ilkley, where Denton Road was closed on Sunday afternoon and police cordoned off New Brook Street, preventing vehicles and pedestrians crossing to the north side of the river.
Water also covered East Holmes Field and West Holmes Field, with the rising levels causing some anxious residents to put sandbags out around their homes.
Train services between Ilkley and Leeds were also cancelled on Sunday due to the flooding, but were expected to return to normal by Monday afternoon.
More details can be found at nationalrail.co.uk .