A COMMUNITY which has been badly affected by flooding in the past has completed the latest phase of a natural flood management which should hold back water from their village in the future.

Members of Brompton Flood Prevention Group have been working on natural flood management projects to help slow the flow of the becks which flow down the village near Northallerton after heavy rainfall.

They have recently created five dams, which allow water through at a more manageable pace for the beck, helping to alleviate the risk of flooding in the village.

Chairman of Brompton Flood Prevention Group, Sue Butler said: “We’ve made great progress with our recent natural flood management work but it unfortunately used up all our funding. However, thankfully, we have now been offered at least £50,000 to continue our work on natural flood defences by DEFRA, which will be administered by the Environment Agency, in stages when needed.

“We will be working in partnership with the Environment Agency, Yorkshire Dales River Trust and the Wildlife Trust, so we can now continue with our ground-breaking achievements in the Brompton area, as regards natural flood defences, helping to keep Brompton village safe from flooding.”

Simon Stokes, of the Environment Agency, said: “Members of the Brompton Flood Prevention Group have worked tirelessly on natural flood management projects across the Brompton Beck catchment for a number of years.

“We welcome the chance to work in partnership with the group, which has made a significant contribution to flood alleviation through identifying and developing natural flood management projects in the area and we look forward to working together in an attempt to reduce flood risk to the local community by slowing, filtering and storing water run-off as it travels through the wider landscape.”

Sue says Brompton is prone to flash flooding.

“Once I was watching the water go up at the ford in a time of flood and the water went up a foot every 10 minutes,” she said.

“It is extremely frightening and with a lot of elderly people in the village it was always a constant worry, especially as Water End residents can be completely cut off.

“Not only does the water come up from the beck but it also comes off the fields.”

* Brompton Flood Prevention Group is holding a ukulele music night on Saturday 9 September at 7pm in The Village Inn, Brompton.

Tickets are £10 each which includes a meal of pie, peas and chips and live music. There will also be a raffle with prizes donated by local people and businesses. All profits will go towards flood alleviation work.