THE first phase of a series of natural flood defences paid-for by villagers has been officially opened by Richmond MP Rishi Sunak.
Three “leaky dams” constructed above the village of Brompton, near Northallerton, have been built to help protect the village from flash flooding which has hit small community three times in the last 17 years.
The £4,500 cost of designing the scheme and carrying out the works has been met by the Brompton Flood Prevention Group, a community organisation set up in the village following the flooding.
It is believed to be the only group in the country to have raised funds on this scale for flood defences.
It raised the money through quiz and music nights with support also coming from the parish and district councils and Barclays Bank.
Now the group is planning the next phase – a large holding pond designed to store flood waters back from village homes.
At the opening, Mr Sunak inspected one of the leaky dams and said: “This is a great scheme and a superb example of a community coming together to tackle a problem.
“The tenacity in the face of difficulties in obtaining funds and some consents has been truly impressive, as has their willingness to consider a different approach to flood prevention.”
Mr Sunak is a member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Commons select committee which is preparing a report on future flood prevention.
He said his work on the committee had convinced him of the importance of natural flood prevention measures as part of the armoury to combat the threat of future flooding.
Sue Butler, chair of the Brompton Flood Prevention Group (BFPG) explained that the leaky dams were made from logs with gaps to allow small gaps for water to get through. They were designed to slow the speed of the water at times of high rainfall without stopping it completely.
Mrs Butler said the group was now working on obtaining the necessary consents to build a holding pond on land near the Northallerton-Teesside rail line. Mr Sunak was assisting the BFPG in its talks with Network Rail. He had previously worked with the group in its negotiations with the internal drainage board over the leaky dams.
She said: “Mr Sunak’s interventions on our behalf have been very important so we were delighted he could do the honours for this initial phase of the scheme.”
Mrs Butler said the group was also very grateful for the co-operation of the farmer landowner Geoff Spence and the works contractor James Coxon.
Major flash flooding affecting more than 150 properties in Brompton occurred in 1979 and 2000 and there was another less serious flood in 2012.
A major flood alleviation project costing £3.2m involving the building of a reservoir had been drawn up by the Environment Agency but was dropped in 2011.
Eighty villagers, frustrated by lack of progress to protect their homes, formed the community group in 2013. Since then the BFPG has sourced £60,000 from fundraising and grants towards the design and construction of the flood prevention scheme which will, at times of heavy rainfall, slow the water flow in the Ings and Winton becks before they merge to form Brompton beck through the village.
The group has also paid £450 for Brompton beck to be de-silted.