THREE North-Yorkshire towns will be receiving new infrastructure to improve the speed, safety and efficiency of their flooding threat response and some houses will be entitled to £5,000 to help protect themselves further. 

The work, which will take place in Malton, Norton and Old Malton, is part of a joint flood alleviation scheme by North Yorkshire County Council and Ryedale District Council.

Funding for the work will also be coming from The York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership and the Environment Agency.

New permanent brackets, pipework and hard standing at various locations will be part of the new infrastructure, including County Bridge, Tate Smith Yard and Old Malton.

The County Council and District Council have also added two new quieter pumps to their pump fleet in order to reduce disruption to residents. 

County Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, said: “These improvements make a significant difference.

"They enable quicker, more efficient deployment of pumps and improve safety for the crews operating the pumps. This work is about making the pumping operation more practical, safer and more efficient.”

A Ryedale District Council spokesperson said: “The infrastructure improvements will support the effectiveness of the Malton, Norton and Old Malton pump plan.

“We continue to liaise with partners about other action that might be needed.”

Cllr Lindsay Burr, county councillor for Malton, said: “I am pleased to have worked collaboratively with all these organisations to ensure that our residents benefit from the flood alleviation scheme.”

Cllr Keane Duncan, Norton division county councillor, said: "The pumping operation earlier this year was a vital element of our flood response.

"It successfully protected our towns from the worst effects, but it also exposed a number of weaknesses.

"I am pleased that the additional pumping infrastructure is now in place to ensure that we are even better prepared to respond if and when pumps are needed again.

“This scheme once again shows just how much a partnership approach can achieve and paves the way for further potential steps in future. Meaningful action can only be achieved by all agencies working together.”

The flood alleviation scheme will also give 150 properties property level resilience to help the owners of properties considered to be high risk in Malton, Norton and Old Malton to protect their businesses further.

Households are entitled to up to £5,000 for approved alterations such as flood barriers, airbricks that close automatically to keep out water, non-return valves on drains to prevent floodwater or sewage backing up and waterproof copings on walls.

Cllr Don Mackenzie added: "Each solution is tailored to what individual home and business owners want for their property. The contractors are in place and are working with homeowners to get the best arrangements for their properties.”