£2.1m plan to protect Yorkshire Dales communities from flash floods moves forward

Senior North Yorkshire Council figures will on Friday (August 9) consider approving a £650,000 contribution for a £2.1 million project to “offer peace of mind to residents that in adverse weather conditions their properties and themselves are better protected”.

While the flood prevention measures initiative for Wensleydale, Swaledale and Arkengarthdale is reliant on applications to the Environment Agency for £873,000 and Flood and Coastal Committee Local Levy for £583,000, the council has committed to continue to seek funding opportunities should the bids be rejected.

The decision comes five years after unprecedented rainfall, with almost a month’s rain falling in four hours, left destruction across swathes of west Richmondshire.

Some 238 properties and 50 farms flooded, 13 bridges – some to remote communities – were swept away, streams were left obstructed by tonnes of debris, villages left inundated with silt and mud and several significant landslips affecting roads.

The flooding also inundated Leyburn’s fire station as firefighters were out helping stricken residents.

Residents in Reeth, Grinton, Arkengarthdale, Leyburn and Bellerby saw the most significant impacts, which some being left unable to move back to their homes for well over a year.

Among those affected were artist Michael Bilton and his partner Cyndi, who had been out shopping when the floods swept away all their possessions from their 18th century Swaledale home.

When residents and business owners of flood-hit properties came to renew insurance policies they were told they would they would no longer be covered in the event of flooding as updated Environment Agency flood risk maps had put their cottages into the flood risk area.

A council officer’s report states the Upper Dales project had been on hold due it prioritising a flood alleviation scheme in Malton and Norton, the Covid pandemic and issues in obtaining property flood resilience equipment.

It states the scheme would include a range of property flood resilience measures, such as embankments, new channels and slow the flow schemes and will be offered to residents whose properties have either flooded or been identified as high risk of flooding.

To date 84 properties have registered to the scheme.

Former Reeth councillor Richard Good, who helped lead the response to the flooding, said he hoped the council would be able to get the works completed quickly.

He said: “It is five years this week since the flooding and every time we get heavy rain people get very twitchy.”

Upper Dales councillor Yvonne Peacock said: “It’s absolutely excellent news that the chance is coming forward to get funding we have been working towards since 2019.

“Unless you were there to see it I don’t think anybody could believe the devastation that was left by the 2019 flash floods, so there’s a real determination to do all we can to prevent flooding at those properties in the future.”