But members of a council organisation dedicated to flood recovery and resilience have promised to seek extra funding to extend protection for the area.

Vast swathes of the borough – including Sowerby Bridge, Brighouse, Hebden Bridge, Mytholmroyd and Todmorden – were submerged on Boxing Day 2015 as communities were hit by Storm Eva.

By 2021, £84 million will have been spent to improve defences across the Calder Valley by 2021 and some European funding, for which UK areas are still eligible, is still being sought.

Mytholmroyd centre under water after the River Calder burst its banks. Picture: Charles Round.

Calderdale council chief executive Robin Tuddenham said a lot of work had been done, including very important intervention from the Government following the floods.

“I think we have made the funding work – we have spent all the grants for businesses and residential properties fully and appropriately, worked with Leeds City Region, put in various schemes in-house and talks with Ministers are continuing, that is significant and the contributions of all of us is important,” he said.

But as the number of flooding “near misses” in the last 18 months had shown, it was an ongoing task, the Calderdale Flood Recovery and Resilience Programme Board was told.

Mr Tuddenham said: “It is long term, it is continuous, it is the defining issue of this place and we will not let it drop.

“It is about continuing to make the case for Calderdale.”

The meeting was told that knowledge gained in Calderdale was also helping assist other areas that had been hit by flooding, including South Yorkshire and Cornwall recently.

Adrian Gill, of the Environment Agency, said: “There is still lots more to do but the work is challenging.

“The question to pose to the board is how can we remain focused and look up from the enormity of work we are doing and what else we need to be doing.

“I think there is more we can do around the climate, developing a carbon neutral programme.”

Progress on flood alleviation schemes were reported to the board, including around 1,100 gullies being repaired or upgraded, four sections of the Mytholmroyd project complete or nearly completed and the Hebden Bridge scheme at detailed design stage.

National Flood Management schemes have continued apace with funds released for landowners to do work on their land, although there is still a lot to be done.

Within 18 months of the floods, a total of £25 million of Department of Transport funding was invested in repairs and reconstructions.

Over £80m spent or allocated for work after floods in Calderdale