Northallerton people tired of seeing their properties flooded descended on local council offices last week.

Angry residents in the Quaker Lane, Brompton Road and Stokesley Road areas of the town called a public meeting at the Standard Inn on Wednesday night.

The well-attended meeting saw the formation of the Flood Action Group (FAG), which formed a delegation to the Stone Cross headquarters of Hambleton District Council the following day.

Almost 50 residents and business people from the Turker Lane, Quaker Lane, Brompton Road, Stokesley Road and High Street areas converged on the Hambleton offices at Stone Cross as councillors arrived for a meeting of the development control committee.

The aim of FAG is to put pressure on official agencies to find ways of improving drainage systems which local people say can no longer cope with the devastating effects of flash storms such as that seen on Tuesday and Friday.

Pete Blythe, newly elected chairman of FAG, said: "This is going to grow. We only expected a few people at our meeting on Wednesday but 40 to 50 turned up. We have touched a nerve. It should never have come to this.

"The main issue is to sort out the drainage in Northallerton because it cannot carry surface water. It is about time someone started doing the job of looking after things underground."

Former Tory leader William Hague, whose constituency covers Northallerton, expressed similar concerns. He said: "There is clearly something seriously wrong when a town centre can flood so rapidly after such a short period of rain.

"People understand that a flood can occur in exceptional circumstances, but Northallerton now seems to the experiencing major problems on a regular basis. A solution to this must be found urgently."

Julie-Ann Mitchinson was one of those whose home, in Crosby Road, was flooded for a second time in six weeks.

"It was about six or seven inches deep in the kitchen and then it came through the rest of the house like a wave," she said on Wednesday. She and her husband now plan to build their own flood defences round their property.

The Conservatives' Shadow Environment Secretary, David Lidington, added his weight to the argument demanding a root-and-branch review of flood management.

"Urgent action is needed from the Government and it is not just a matter of spending more money,' he said. "The tendency is to wait for a flood and, when it happens, rush around fetching sandbags and then arguing about who pays for them. Strategic management is needed before taxpayers find their homes ruined.''

However, there was some good news for flood victims from insurers Norwich Union. It has been rumoured those who find themselves repeated victims may be turned away in future. However, the company which manages policies for one in five of the nation's homes, insists owners of flooded properties will be covered.

Spokeswoman Liz Kennett admitted some homeowners could be priced out of specific flood cover but they would not be left uninsured and would still be eligible for building insurance.