FLOOD victims have welcomed plans to give a council more powers to tackle essential drainage work more quickly.

Since homes in Northallerton and the surrounding areas were severely damaged by the floods in November 2000 and again last summer, residents have been campaigning for defence works to be developed on the local waterways.

Next week could see emergency work move to the next stage if North Yorkshire County Council takes on a role called Drainage Body, which would enable it to initiate and manage its own improvement works.

Northallerton resident Ian Watkins, who was flooded in 2000 and is a member of the local Flood Action Group, said that very little had been done to prevent the same thing happening again.

"Getting any flood defence work done here seems to be such a slow process, it is like wading through molasses," he said.

"The council needs to tackle this problem properly. They need to get their finger out and do something now.

"You can't get a more core issue than people being washed out of their own homes. This is much more serious than a broken plant pot or damaged park bench."

The council has already devised a two-stage flood defence action-plan in response to the disruption and damage caused by flooding in the Hambleton area in recent years.

The proposals, for Brompton, Romanby and Northallerton, include removing critical flow constrictions down stream of low lying residential developments and providing earth embankments.

The proposals may be taken quickly to public consultation level if the authority's executive members approve a suggestion to take up the role of Drainage Body.

If granted its new powers, the council's environmental directorate would be able to take the improvement works forward without having to seek planning permission from the local authority.

Mr Watkins said: "Any change that could speed up the process would be fantastic and I'm sure it will be welcomed by many residents in and around the town."

Mike Moore, the council's director of environmental services, said it would speed up the delivery of the "essential works".