Boroughbridge’s flood defences are set to see a boost after the government offered £50,000 as part of a national investment into flood and coastal defences.
The investment will go towards the refurbishment of the Boroughbridge Pumping Station and flood defences. However, construction is not set to start until 2025.
The government has launched a Flood and Coastal Erosion Investment Plan in which £5.2 billion is being invested over the next six years to protect homes and business across England.
The plans for Boroughbridge is one of 1,000 schemes to benefit.
Boroughbridge has been a local hotspot for floods for years with new housing estates and local businesses fighting floods in recent months.
Boroughbridge business owner Malcolm Angus, owner of Canal Garage said:
“Flooding is a real problem here and the answer is to slow the water down. It’s coming down from the Dales too fast and the rivers down here then fill up. It’s a catch 22 because if you manage to slow it in one area it’ll only end up somewhere else.
“It used to be more infrequent but now its four to five times a year.”
This year alone the fund will invest an extra £40 million compared with last year for schemes in Yorkshire and the Humber.
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Following the investment announcement, environment secretary George Eustice said:
“We are standing by communities and will bolster defences against flooding across England with many thousands more properties better protected by 2027.
“It’s important we take action right across the system. Our comprehensive plan will achieve this by tightening planning procedures, helping more people access insurance and making homes more resilient to the effects of flooding.”
