HELP could be on its way to a village at the centre of East Cleveland's flooding crisis.

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council held an executive meeting this week to see what Government help could be made available to the stricken village of Skinningrove.

On Tuesday, the council advised many residents to evacuate to an emergency centre at Rosecroft School, Loftus. Many refused to leave their homes.

The problem is that the beck, which runs through the centre of the village, is not classed as a river so does not qualify for Government help.

The council is considering options aimed at improving flood defences in the village and conditions at other troublespots around the borough.

The authority is also planning to lobby the borough's MPs, Mo Mowlam and Ashok Kumar, to urge the Environment Agency to confer main river status on the beck.

Options being considered are the installation of screens upstream to catch debris, a new humpback bridge, one metre high reinforced concrete flood walls, floodgates across Stone Row Bridge and storm drains at the heads of Stone Row and Zetland Row.

Council workers, who had worked almost without a break since last Thursday. were praised by Chief executive Colin Moore.

Coun Dave McLuckie also praised the borough's community spirit, highlighting residents in Carlin How.

"We took them a ten-ton load of sand and they bagged it themselves for their properties," he said.

For information on flooding problems in the area, or to report a problem, call the technical services' customer services helpline on (01642) 444789.