Fresh calls for more permanent flood pumps in North Yorkshire Town

Residents in Norton say Yorkshire Water need to act

Author: Kathy GreenPublished 10th Nov 2023

Campaigners in one North Yorkshire Town say they desperately need more flood pumps installed - to stop sewage spilling into the street..

There's renewed calls for the investment after heavy rain last week meant temporary pipes had to be deployed.

But Di Keal, who is the Mayor, says they need more permanent ones: "If they actually could put that in place then it would alleviate all the anxiety that people feel every single time, it would also make their job easier, because they wouldn't have to bring in the temporary pumps so it's false economy not to do this work."

"When the river gets as high as it possible can and the system can't cope, the man hole covers blow and you get raw sewage, I get it in my own garden and it is absolutely disgusting."

"They seem to think that putting emergency pumps in, that's all they need to do, and yes it really helps but they wouldn't need to do it if they put in a permanent pump."

Yorkshire Water's response

In a statement Yorkshire Water said: 'We've been working closely with North Yorkshire County Council and the Environment Agency on the multi-agency flood plan to respond to high river and groundwater levels in Malton and Norton in recent weeks. As part of this, we deployed our pumps to help protect homes and businesses from flooding. We're also continuing to work with partners to investigate a more longer term solution to reduce flood risk in the area.'

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Greatest Hits Radio app.