ANGRY residents left homeless during last year's disastrous flooding yesterday took their complaint to the top - and staged a protest at Downing Street.

They set off from their flood-ravaged homes in North Yorkshire to make a plea for help directly to Tony Blair.

The 50-strong group from Ryedale and York drove their message home by handing over a symbolic gift of sandbags - which were used, in vain, to protect their houses.

The delegation presented the Government with an open letter calling for cash to be immediately made available for flood defences, costing around £5m.

The protestors want to pile on pressure before Friday's meeting of the Yorkshire Regional Flood Defence Committee, which will decide how much councils will have to pay in the wake of the disaster.

The victims fear that without further Government help the councils will continue to refuse to provide cash for an early start for the work - even though they would be re-imbursed after a year.

"The deluge was devastating," said Di Kean, from Norton, who also handed Number 10 a portfolio of pictures taken during the height of the floods.

"Since the first severe floods less than two years ago not a brick has been laid in defence of Norton, Malton or Old Malton - even though the two floods have caused £53m in damage."

The protestors also talked with flood defence minister Elliot Morley at a meeting arranged by Ryedale's Tory MP John Greenway who said: "We are asking that, by one means or another John Prescott's commitment to a flood defence scheme for the area is honoured."

The Government came under further pressure to act after the Commons All-Party Agriculture Select Committee raised concerns over the flooding costs to local authorities.

The MPs said they were anxious at the prospect of "severe increases'' in the precepts the Environment Agency levies on councils. They said the Government should "explore ways of taking account of these additional costs in the year in which they occur".