councillors have unanimously backed a demand for action from the Government over flooding in the county.

Liberal Democrat member Bernard Bateman proposed a motion at the quarterly council meeting urging the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Environment Agency to reinstate a flood defence scheme for Ripon.

The £11.7m project received planning permission in November last year, but was shelved because the Environment Agency did not have funding in place for this financial year.

Ripon was severely hit by floods in 2000 and again last month after heavy rain.

Following an amendment tabled by Conservative councillor John Fort, the motion also called on the Government to honour its commitments to flood defences in other parts of the county.

Councillor Bateman, who represents Ripon North, said: "Ripon has now experienced two disastrous flooding events in less than seven years. This has resulted in some 500 homes and businesses being affected, causing great distress to residents and more than £10m-worth of damage. The Environment Agency, in not providing the funding it agreed, did so wrongly on the basis that Ripon would not experience this level of flooding in another 105 years. How wrong could it have been?"

The motion was seconded by Liberal Democrat member David Lloyd-Williams, from Norton, near Malton, who highlighted problems in the Ryedale area.

Conservative councillor Gareth Dadd, from Thirsk, said: "I am happy that the motion included all schemes in the county. The river in Thirsk just narrowly avoided bursting its banks three weeks ago."