Yorkshire Water recently relocated two large flood pumps in order to facilitate a quicker response by councils to protect homes and businesses from the risk of flooding.

The decision and move was made in conjunction with Ryedale District Council and Harrogate Borough Council in order to ensure that future multi-agency responses to floods in Malton, Norton and Old Malton and Boroughbridge can be far quicker.

In December 2015, major flooding occurred in Malton and Norton. Water levels started to rise on Boxing Day and roads and gardens were covered in sewage. County Bridge between the two towns was closed and highway officials brought in emergency pumps.

Residents, including Norton and Ryedale Councillor Di Keal, whose garden in St Nicholas Street was flooded with sewage, were up I arms that nothing had been don since the previous major incident in 2012.

Raw sewage was only prevented from entering people’s homes due to Ryedale District Council staff installing pumps. Keal castigated the NYCC, Yorkshire Water, the Environment Agency and Network Rail and called on them to take action to stop anything similar happening again.

North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) commissioned a study to assess the impact of incidents and to help identify an initial business case for measures to reduce future flood risk following the significant floods in 2012, and five optional schemes were produced, including improving flood warning procedures and constructing permanent pumping chambers, as well as wider changes to the various drainage systems and groundwater control measures.

The previous location of the pumps in Yorkshire Water’s logistic centre in Leeds meant they were not being used to their optimum capacity, so special permits were arranged and one pump was relocated to a Yorkshire Water site in Ripon, where it will be used by the Harrogate Borough Council during future flood warnings or incidents in Boroughbridge.

The other pump was relocated to the Ryedale District Council depot for use specifically as part of the Malton, Norton and Old Malton Multi-Agency Pump Plan.

Eve Pierrepont who works in the Flood Risk & Engagement Team commented:

“By working together we are making efficiencies, as we supply the pumps and our colleagues at the local authorities supply the resources to deploy them. The communities of Malton, Norton, Old Malton and Boroughbridge will hopefully benefit as we are able to respond to any future flood incidents more efficiently.”

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