Region gets cash for anti-flood work

The Environment Agency announced yesterday that it will provide the £1.3m in grants for 37 communities in England which are at grave risk of flooding.

More than a third of all the funding has been earmarked for four schemes in the region – including £320,000 to protect 75 properties in Darfield, between Doncaster and Barnsley, which was swamped in floods four years ago.

The money will be used nationally to help 500 households in areas at the highest risk of flooding to install defences, such as flood barriers and airbrick covers.

A grant of £34,000 will protect eight homes in South Milford, near Selby, while a further £17,000 has been allocated to defend four households in Eastwood, near Callis Bridge in Calderdale.

It was announced last week that £85,000 will be used to help finance the Slowing the Flow project in Ryedale, which is using nature to prevent flooding, to protect 20 properties in Pickering.

The project represents a major shift from engineering solutions back to techniques such as planting new woodland to slow run-off.

The funding announcement came as the Environment Agency also confirmed that long-awaited flood defences to protect Ripon are nearing completion.

The much-delayed £14.4m project, which had initially fallen victim to a shortage of Government funding before being resurrected, is due to be finished by Christmas.

A flood storage reservoir is now operational, while earth embankments to protect 548 homes and 96 businesses will be functioning by the end of next month.

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