ON a gloriously sunny summer day the water of Skinningrove Beck trickles innocently through the village and meanders out into the North Sea.

It is hard to believe that exactly a year ago, following days of heavy rain, a furious 8ft wall of water stormed down the beck.

In a matter of minutes, chaos spilled into the close-knit community as a foul cocktail of sewage, mud and water swept into people's homes. Residents had to be evacuated by lifeboats and were taken to an emergency rest centre at Rosecroft School, in nearby Loftus.

The village was then hit by floods in October and yet again in November.

People had just replaced soaking furniture, repainted mud-caked walls and only recently returned home when the autumn floods struck.

Since then, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council has paid for more than £1m of flood defences, most of which it should get back from the Government.

Coun Dave McLuckie, lead member for community safety, said: "We had three devastating floods in a short space of time, and felt unable to wait any longer before defending Skinningrove.

"The council felt it was right to carry that financial burden, because of the misery the floods caused. We were determined never to see Skinningrove deluged again."

Coun McLuckie surveys the peaceful water and shudders at the memory of events of a year ago.

"It is hard to believe the beck is capable of it, but I have seen it and I know what force it has.

"I came down to the bridge and there were people running from the houses to have a look at how high the beck was getting. Then, when we heard the rumble, they just ran back to their houses and began moving stuff upstairs, saving what they could.

"It was the human cost that stuck with me - houses can be repaired, furniture can be replaced, but it took people's memories."

The flood defence work includes walls on both sides of the beck, screens to catch the debris, storm drains, floodgates and a specialist early warning system.

But even now, every time it rains in Skinningrove, people look anxiously at the beck.

Resident Barry Hunt, whose house looks on to the bridge at the beck, was flooded twice.

He said: "I still think people are a bit wary, coming to have a look at the beck every time it rains, but now they don't come as much, because they have that security.