WORK on a major scheme to prevent potentially disastrous flooding in North Yorkshire will get underway this spring.

Catterick village and the nearby A1 are highly susceptible to flooding from Brough Beck and in 2012 the area was so badly hit that the motorway had to be closed for 24 hours.

However a £6m water storage reservoir to protect the area is about to get underway and will take about a year to complete.

It will be built upstream of Catterick, between Brough Park and the A1, and will be able to hold 91m gallons of water - which, in a storm event, would overwhelm Brough Beck, putting the village and surrounding area at risk.

It should also provide a significantly improved standard of flood protection for 149 homes and businesses as well as protecting the A1. In addition, a local bridleway will be improved and a new area of wildlife habitat will be created along Brough Beck.

Project manager Philip Boyes said: “When completed, the storage reservoir will hold flood water back so it flows more slowly down Brough Beck towards Catterick village and the new section of the A1 which is currently under construction. This will significantly reduce flood risk in the area.”

Details of the Environment Agency scheme will be outlined at a drop-in meeting at the Booth Memorial Hall, Catterick, on March 7 from 3pm to 5.30pm.