WHILE the State will not pay to preserve our cathedrals, it is belatedly splashing the cash to protect ordinary homes.

Elvington villagers have fought tirelessly for a scheme to safeguard their properties from the dangers of the Derwent.

Finally their perseverance has been rewarded.

They have wrung out a £220,000 grant from the Regional Flood Defence Committee to keep the river at bay.

About time too. But we remember a Prime Ministerial pledge of largesse at the height of the 2000 floods. That contrasts sharply with the tortuous process of securing flood defence cash.

Updated: 10:24 Tuesday, March 15, 2005