More flooding - and nobody will help us, say angry residents

The town was subject to heavy rainfall last Friday. North End was the worst hit area, with Quaker Lane and Turker Lane also suffering. Businesses affected included the Masons Arms and the Standard pubs. It is the second time in ten months that the area has flooded after a storm, and North End was also badly hit in the flooding of autumn 2000.

Resident Ian Watkins, of North End Action Group, said the nearby Turker Beck had not risen during the downpour, and blamed the problem on poor drains. "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out that if there was proper drainage laid in Quaker Lane, North End would drain into the beck," he said.

"If the beck had been up, I could understand it, but this is an artificial problem. It is down to water mismanagement."

He said none of the local authorities involved was willing to claim responsibility or do anything to help. "We are back to the same old problem," he said. "It is like the Tower of Babel - they are all talking different languages and blaming each other. We are no further forward than we were 2 years ago."

Peter Blyth, who lives on Quaker Lane, said: "The residents are going mad. Every time we get a serious cloudburst it appears that the sewers can't handle it. We in Quaker Lane are copping for the lot."

He said more houses would have been affected but for the intervention of the fire brigade and help from a neighbour who owns a water pumping company.

Mr Watkins is forming a pressure group to lobby councillors over the problem. Anyone interested in joining should contact him on 01609 779646 or 401405.

A spokesman for Yorkshire Water said: "While our sewerage system is designed to cope with storm conditions, on this occasion we were beaten by nature.

"We accept flooding is a distressing experience for customers and on occasions like this we will work with them to help with the clean-up."

David McGloin, head of technical services at Hambleton District Council, said the authority had not received a flood warning. "It was a large amount of water in a very short space of time," he said. "The systems cannot cope with that sort of thing and it will happen from time to time.

"We didn't get a flood warning for it so we didn't have time to put out sandbags. It was really unfortunate but there was nothing that we could have done."

There were problems in Thirsk, too.

Only hours before their newly-fitted shop was to open, two young businesswomen had to deal with a flash flood which threatened to ruin their new floor and stock.

Kelly Wright and Michelle Handford have taken over the premises occupied for many years by Woollybacks in Finkle Street and were due to open their Skateboard equipment venture on Saturday.

"We were just pricing items on Friday night ready for our opening day on Saturday when torrential rain started. Within minutes the shop was flooded with three inches of water.

"Had we known that the area flooded so quickly, we wouldn't have taken the shop on, but we were told by Hambleton Council that it didn't flood down Finkle Street.

"I understand from other businesses around here that it is the size of the drains which causes the problem; they are not large or deep enough to cope with heavy rain.'

"We took the shop over as it was cheaper than in the Market Place. But if the council wants to attract businesses here instead of charity shops, banks and pubs, it will have to do something. When all the water from the surrounding area converges here, I understand all the businesses flood. It is like the Ml traffic suddenly converging into one lane."

Pat Bell, who has run Clarke's bakers for 18 years, said the tenant of a flat above alerted her to the flood.

"When we got here the shop was flooded with three inches of mud and water. I carried out 17 buckets of thick black sludge.

"We can't keep coping with this kind of worry, especially in a food shop where hygiene regulations are very strict.

"I have complained time and time again to the council to upgrade the drains with no success. I even offered to keep sandbags outside but was told I would have to buy and collect them. Businesses cannot be sustained down here if nothing is to be done."

The shop owners attended Monday's meeting of Thirsk Council to register their concerns.

Chairman Coun Derek Adamson said he understood that the footpath enhancement of Finkle Street some time ago was supposed to divert heavy rainwater but that, even when gullies had been cleaned, they filled up again four weeks later.

The council claimed the drains were only four inches wide instead of 9 inches.

"I agree with business people. It is time something was done. It must be costing the council a fortune to keep coming out to unblock the drains."

The council will contact Hambleton Council to ask for urgent action to be taken.

Mike Roberts, Hambleton's divisional engineer, said: "There were several flooding points in Northallerton and Thirsk on Friday which are being investigated."

A spokesman for North Yorkshire County Council said: "The county council is liaising with the other bodies involved, including Yorkshire Water and the district council, to identify why the flooding occurred last week in these locations and what action if any needs to be taken.