LOCALS unhappy at a defence scheme for a flood blighted town want the Environment Agency to spend its money elsewhere.

The Government flood agency has responded to long-term pressure to draw up a scheme to combat problems from Cod Beck, Thirsk.

The town has suffered badly in recent years and the latest scheme to protect it was shown to Thirsk Town Council but some members criticised it.

The plan aims to create a large storage area near Thornton-le-Street, close to Thirsk, on farmland to hold back large amounts of flood waters.

An embankment would be built near St James green as a barrier to flooding, the road level raised at Todds Court and flood barrier walls built near Riverside Mews.

Residents fear the flood walls, which could be one and a half metres high, will be a blight visually as they will block off river views.

Councillor Mo Penson felt the flood walls were not right for the area and could damage trees there and scare wildlife away.

Councillor Freda Roberts added: "I don’t think it’s justified spending this money in Thirsk until the low lying areas of the River Ouse and places like Hull are sorted out.

"Cod Beck comes up and it goes down quickly but in places like Hull it comes up and stays up."

Not all of the town council was against the project with some happy for further talks to take place on it.

The next step is for the Environment Agency to grant approval for a Thirsk scheme in December and if funding is in place work will start in February 2011.

The Environment Agency could also decide to take no action or approve a Thirsk scheme and then put it on a national priority list to be acted upon in turn.

An Environment Agency spokesman said: "There are 77 properties in Thirsk which at present have no flood defences.

"It’s a balancing act between the size of the storage area and the size of the walls as the bigger the storage area the smaller the walls will be.

"The main wall problem seemed to be one near some houses but it would be there to provide them with protection."