THE risk of flooding in a North Yorkshire village should be reduced with the completion of a new £4,500 flood plain.
Operations staff from the Environment Agency have just finished rebuilding an area of land at Sinnington, near Pickering, next to the River Seven underneath the A170 road bridge.
Sections of the field were lowered and obstacles including hedges were removed to create the flood plain which will hold water during heavy rain, reducing the risk of flooding in the village.
Environment Agency project manager Andrew Haigh said: "We have been working with residents in Sinnington and the parish council to find the different ways that we can reduce the risk of flooding to the village.
"We are confident that the new plain will provide better protection in the village for years to come.
"The first test of the flood plain was during recent heavy rainfall. It’s been reassuring to hear from residents about how the plain helped to reduce levels and take the flood water away from the houses at the lower section of the village."
Parish councillor Liz Newbronner said: "For the last few years we have been working with the Environment Agency to combine their expertise with our local knowledge and it seems to be paying off."
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