Residents have condemned a Yorkshire Water application for emergency powers to dump sewage in a river.

The company has applied to the Environment Agency for permission to carry out the emergency action in the River Ure, at Masham.

Although it has stressed that the situation would only arise as a last resort, Masham parish councillors plan to protest to Yorkshire Water.

Councillor Nigel Simms said: "I'm just flabbergasted. Here we have one of the cleanest rivers around - trout flourish here, people bathe in it from caravan sites - and now we face the prospect of raw sewage being dumped in it. No wonder there has been such an angry reaction."

He said emergency powers had been granted to the company to extract water from the Ure near Kilgram Bridge, at Jervaulx, and claimed that was now being done regularly.

County councillor for Masham and Fountains, Paul Richardson, said: "I am very concerned about the situation, and share the real fears of local people. It has taken years to get the river so clean, and the idea of dumping sewage in it is simply appalling.

"I shall fight this all the way, and will reflect what local people think about it. I am also raising the matter with North Yorkshire County Council.

"My fear is that this will not be a one-off and that is how other people feel too," he said.

The Environment Agency has the power to determine the outcome of the application, and will seek public responses to the plans.

A Yorkshire Water spokesman said: "This is necessary to prevent the upstream sewers surcharging and flooding people's homes with sewage.

"We must stress that this application is for use in emergency situations only, and will only be used as a last resort.

"There is considerable on-site storage, which will allow remedial action to be taken before a discharge occurs to the River Ure in most circumstances. If a discharge were to occur, this would be of partially treated, not crude sewage."