HARROGATE'S famous 200-acre grassland stray is facing a big dig.

The combination of broken drains and the town's clay soil has caused flooding.

An initial examination by the town's parks department and highway engineers found that land drains laid in the middle of the last century were broken.

Tree roots punctured the old drains causing a backlog of water following heavy rain.

Council staff tried to clear the blockages with high pressure water jets, but the exercise failed.

The borough council has started work replacing sections of the damaged pipes.

New French-style drains are being laid, allowing rainwater to seep in from the top as well as the sides.