Storm Christoph: Malton flood risk of 'grave concern'

A North Yorkshire town is at risk of flooding over the next "several days", according to a council leader.

Keane Duncan, leader of Ryedale District Council, said the River Derwent in Malton was approaching 5m (16.4 ft) and still rising.

Threats to almost 100 homes in York appear to have passed after the River Foss peaked earlier.

More than 40 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, remain in force across North Yorkshire.

The Environment Agency (EA) said North Yorkshire had seen about 120mm (4.7in) of rain since Monday.

Mr Duncan said County Bridge in Malton had been closed due to flooding and they were monitoring the level on the Derwent closely.

"A lot of residents are saying to me that the situation is looking worse than in 2015/16 when we had problems most recently."

Mr Duncan said some pumps in the market town had failed but they were expecting more to arrive.

"The situation is really of grave concern for residents here. We get to 5m that's when we have the difficulties.

"It looks like the peak will happen tomorrow and then we will have a prolonged period when we are at peak levels, so clearly we could be with the situation for several days."

He said the town's defences have held up in recent years, but there were issues outside the defences.

The council said it expected no significant change to water levels overnight and it tweeted it had 16 pumps in action in Malton, Old Malton and Norton.

Mr Duncan added: "We have got pumps here and extra pumps are on the way. I am hopeful and confident we can keep as much of that water away from homes, businesses and people as we can."

The Environment Agency said it expected the Derwent to peak at about 00:00 GMT.

Ben Hughes, from the agency, said: "That river level will then start to drop off, however there is a lot of surface water and a lot of ground water that's come up and is causing a few issues."

He said a pumping plan was in place with Yorkshire Water and the local authority.

"What we aim to do is pump all that ground water into the river until it starts to drop off, now that could take days or even weeks."

Ken Monkman, who lives in Malton, said the water level was not far off the levels reached during the floods of 2000 before defences were built.

"It's got a fair bit to go yet, the problem is the water is contained within the defences, but the drains and the streams that empty into the river are just backing up and starting to flood people's properties in the lower parts of the town."

He said it was an anxious time for the town.

"It's as bad as its been since before the flood defences went up 20 years ago, it's as bad as I've ever seen it.

Homeowners in parts of the county have also experienced flooding overnight.

Leslie Deighton, whose home in Fryton, in Ryedale, has been flooded, said: "The whole of the downstairs has been affected - everything is covered in water.

"It's up to the sockets on the walls, so it's quite deep. We managed to get some of the stuff upstairs, but it's a small cottage and there isn't room to put stuff."

Elsewhere in North Yorkshire, there were concerns the level of the River Foss could see up to 100 homes flooded in parts of York.

Ben Hughes, from the Environment Agency, said levels on the Foss would remain high but it had peaked.

The Foss Barrier is operating as expected, but issues had been caused by heavy rainfall upstream, he added.

Mr Hughes said: "Around York the situation has been managed. All flood defences are in operation and gates are closed where they should be.

"I'd encourage people to stay vigilant, to not go through any flood water, certainly don't drive, cycle or walk through as it can be very dangerous."

The City of York council said the River Foss peaked at just over 2.7m (8.9ft) and there was a small amount of localised flooding in Strensall and Huntington Road.

It has also urged residents to stay at home as river levels continue to rise on the Ouse.

The Ouse is expected to peak at between 4.7m (15.4ft) and 4.8m (15.7ft) on Friday morning.

A number of roads across North Yorkshire have also been closed due to flooding, cutting off access to some villages, and there is disruption to some trains, with services between Darlington and York suspended.

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