Go-ahead for town's £800,000 anti-flood scheme

Residents who had been campaigning for better protection for Pickering since the community was swamped in 2007 reacted with delight and relief to the decision by Ryedale Council.

Two embankments will be built to keep Pickering Beck in check.

The local authority voted to step in after the Environment Agency scrapped plans for Government-funded defences six years ago after the costs soared from 1.7m to 6.3m.

As well as giving the go-ahead for the earthworks, Ryedale's Policy and Resources Committee also voted in principle for the establishment of a grant scheme for property owners affected by flooding anywhere in Ryedale.

The aim is create a pot of money to help fund flood protection or mitigation for their properties – although there are questions about where the cash is going to come from.

Coun Howard Keal, spokesman for the Pickering Flood Defence Group, remained concerned that the scheme would probably only benefit about half the homes in the town which had been hit by previous floods.

He argued the EA should be asked to help do more to enhance the protection level. "But this is a big step in the right direction," he added.

Coun Linda Cowling, of Pickering, said: "A tremendous amount of work has gone into bringing this scheme forward. It will be tremendous value for money."

Ryedale's Corporate Director Paul Cresswell warned that while the funds would prevent a number of potential flooding incidents, it would not stop floods on the scale of 2007.