SOLDIERS from across the North-East and North Yorkshire who sacrificed their Christmas break to help flood victims in York have been visited by the Armed Forces Minister.

Penny Mordaunt MP met troops from The Royal Lancers who helped build sandbag defences and evacuate residents from flooded properties in York and Selby at their barracks at Catterick Garrison today (Thursday, January 7) .

Lieutenant Colonel Marcus Mudd, from Thirsk, said as commanding officer of The Royal Lancers he was proud of what they achieved.

He said: “The call was put out for any soldiers who wanted to help to report back here on Boxing Day, when most were on their Christmas break with family.

“We had a fantastic response of more than 100 guys who came back, some travelling hundreds of miles, and they really got stuck in to helping the local community.”

The Minister was hosted at the garrison by the regional Army Commander of 4th Infantry Brigade, Brigadier Jez Strickland

Ms Mordaunt said: “The main purpose of my visit is to thank everyone here for the tremendous job they did.

“They did a wide range of tasks for isolated communities, for city and town centres, helping evacuate people, shore up flood defences, and provide reassurance in the aftermath of floods.

“They did it amazingly well and the local community has been wonderful in supporting them - making them cups of tea and making them feel welcome.

“It is also to provide a huge thank you to their families. We were very conscious when deploying people that this was over the Christmas period.”

She added that much of the work undertaken was ideal for the military due to their skills – such as flying Chinook helicopters and laying cables to restore power.

The troops had assisted the emergency services and civilian authorities operating under the direction of the Environment Agency.

Lieutenant Colonel Mudd added: “It’s humbling to see the professionalism of my soldiers, who were away during Christmas, recognised.”

Sgt Adam Holdcroft, of the Royal Lancers, said: “We were happy to help out wherever we could.

“British Army soldiers are known for serving their country overseas but we are happy to help at home as well.”

Major Chris Kierstead of the Royal Lancers added: “The community around York has a very strong sense of pride and is used to coping with flooding.

“We helped provide the manpower and muscle to help them to do the jobs which otherwise they would have had to do themselves.”