THE first phase of a series of natural flood defences paid for by local villagers has been officially opened by Richmond MP Rishi Sunak.

Three “leaky dams”built above Brompton, near Northallerton, should help protect the village from flash flooding which has hit small community three times in the last 17 years.

The £4,500 cost was met by the Brompton Flood Prevention Group, a community organisation set up in the village following the flooding, which also carried out the work.

Now the group is planning the next phase – a large holding pond designed to store flood waters back from village homes.

Group chair Sue Butler said the group was working on obtaining the necessary consents to build the pond on land near the Northallerton-Teesside rail line.

Mr Sunak is assisting the group in its talks with Network Rail. He previously worked with the group in its talks with the internal drainage board over the dams.

A £3.2m flood alleviation project involving the building of a reservoir had been drawn up by the Environment Agency but was dropped in 2011.