NEARLY £400,000 will be spent to prevent flooding in a remote North Yorkshire community.

Yorkshire Water is to replace sewer pipes beneath Ainthorpe, near Danby, on the North York Moors.

The firm says the work, which will cost about £385,000, will reduce the chance of tree roots breaking through sewer walls.

The roots cause blockages which can lead to flooding.

Villagers are invited to attend a forum to learn more about the project next week.

Residents have been warned to expect some disruption as Ainthorpe Lane, in Ainthorpe, will be closed for safety reasons while the construction work is under way.

"We realise the work is going to mean some inconvenience for people with homes in the area, although we will do what we can to limit the impact it has on people's daily lives," said Yorkshire Water project manager Linda Horler.

"We're hoping as many people as possible will take the time to visit the forum so we can explain first-hand why we are doing the work, and so we can understand their viewpoint, before we start any digging.

"We may not be able to accommodate everybody, but if we know about potential problems beforehand, we may be able to work round at least some of them."

Work is due to start in September and is scheduled to take around ten weeks.

The forum will be held in Danby Village Hall between 4pm and 7pm on Wednesday.

Representatives from Yorkshire Water and from contractors Costain will be available to answer questions.

The work is the latest project in a £1.5bn drive announced earlier this year to improve the supply across Yorkshire.

Ten years ago, a drought left the county severely short of water and the firm was heavily criticised.

"It may be a decade since the drought, but for some of our customers, and particularly the media, we are still on probation," said Kevin Whiteman, chief executive of the Kelda Group, which owns Yorkshire Water. "There is absolutely no room for complacency and we will not relent in our drive to be the best."