The Environment Agency have issued a flood warning in the village, and residents in the Armstrong Cottages and in The Maltings have been evacuated from their homes, along with other houses along the riverside.

Northumbria Fire and Rescue Service and the Environment Agency are in the village helping residents and trying to keep problems under control.

The main road bridge in the village has been closed after being designated as structurally unsound, and both roads into the village have been closed due to the severity of the floods.

Thropton's bridge near the Cross Keys has also been closed.

Emergency services received reports this morning from a Forestry Commission worker to say that all roads were virtually inaccessible with serious access problems to the village.

Residents who have been evacuated are being taken to the Jubilee Hall and the Newcastle House Hotel, as well as the RAFA House.

Eyewitness accounts have said at least five cars have gone down the river and houses are flooded to waist height, and have described the events as the worst they have ever scene.

Coun Steven Bridgett said: "There has been a lot of damage done I think. I have never ever seen it flood like this before."

At 4.10pm, Coun Bridgett said there was no sign of the water levels receding.

A Northumbria Police spokeswoman said: "At just before 7am today a man reported that his blue Fiesta had been swept way down the river at Rothbury. No one was inside the vehicle at the time.

"Just after 7.30am police were called by the driver of a Nissan Terrano who was stranded in the car park on the High Street in Rothbury, the man reported that water levels were rising and he was unable to get out of his vehicle. The fire service attended and rescued the man who was not hurt."

Holystone has also been cut off by the floods, resident Stephen Waddington said: "The situation isn't quite as bad further upstream, but our village has been cut off as many of the local roads are impassable. We tried to get to Harbottle from Holystone this morning for Harbottle show but were stopped by the river which submerged the road junction into Holystone."

The rain is causing havoc around Northumberland with severe flooding at Morpeth, where sandbags were used to prevent water poring into the town centre. The A1 was closed north and south of Morpeth and South Road, Alnwick, near Sainsbury's was shut by a fire crew drafted in from Berwick after a manhole cover burst and sewage was spewed onto the road.

Harbottle Show, due to take place this afternoon, was cancelled.

An emergency control room has been set up by the fire and rescue service to control operations.