A NORTH YORKSHIRE authority sits down on Thursday to a frank report into its performance during November's floods.

Hambleton District Council was swamped with appeals for help when ten inches of rain fell in a fortnight.

Although the administration did what it could in the circumstances, officers are recommending new emergency procedures.

The council's dedicated emergency room at Stonecross in Northallerton was among the first problems staff encountered.

Not enough telephone lines could be routed there so an emergency flood room was set up in the accountancy office instead.

The authority's stock of sandbags also proved insufficient, only a few hundred were stacked on pallets ready for immediate use. Thousands more will now be prepared and sent to distribution points around the district closer to where flooding is likely to occur.

Out-of-hours calls also proved problematic for the public - a dedicated flood line will now be published in the telephone book and on the council's website.

Finally, the authority will also look at buying more vehicles capable of negotiating deep water when others in its current fleet are due for renewal.

Perhaps the council's strongest critic during the emergency was the area's business community. The administration's priority was to protect life and private property, which meant companies requesting sandbags were turned away.

In future, more information will be supplied in advance to firms likely to be at risk from flooding. However, it will reiterate that the responsibility for protecting business properties lies with the owner, although sandbags will be made available at cost price if bought in advance of an emergency.

The council has also asked the wider public for feedback on its performance during the flooding and the report concludes: "There have been many suggestions on what needs to be done from the public and the council is responding to requests to attend public meetings.