A YORK community leader today called for Government action to free his village from flooding misery.

The call, by Elvington Parish Council chairman Eric Ingledew, came after 50 homes were cut off by rising water yesterday afternoon.

Mr Ingledew said: "It is a basic human right to be able to walk or drive to your home and for emergency services to have access. The village was in total chaos at 2pm yesterday. I think it's disgraceful.

"As a parish council we are exploring the option of self-financing defences because the Government will not give us any more money.

"It's got to be the Government's responsibility to stand up and respect these basic rights. Over 200 homes last night were wondering: 'How can I get to work tomorrow'?"

Other communities affected by Derwent flooding have had protection measures put in place, raising fears for unprotected villages like Elvington.

But the Environment Agency said its hands were tied on Elvington beck, which was the responsibility of City of York Council. They in turn said it was the responsibility of the Ouse and Derwent Internal Drainage Board.

Drainage board engineer John Lofthouse said the beck was not built to cope with the volume of water coming from the Derwent. Since 2000, he said talks had been held about building a pumping station but funding was proving hard to secure.

In scenes echoing the 2000 crisis, Elvington centre was swamped by knee-deep water. An estimated 50 homes were isolated. Residents laid sandbags and donned waders to get to the shop as youngsters paddled in canoes. Water levels dropped today - but more rain is forecast in the next few days. Elvington Main Street was the only York area road still closed due to flooding today.

One flood-hit family in the village claimed the council removed sandbags from an elderly disabled widow's home - weeks before it was deluged for the fourth time in six years.

Blanche Stacey, 82, who suffers chronic arthritis, was upstairs in bed as relatives and council staff tried to save her possessions. Her house was the only one reported flooded in the village.

Her niece, Diane Wilson, who cares for her aunt, believes another deluge may have been averted if sandbags had not been removed from her garden in June.

"I think it could have been stopped if we had them in place," she said.

"I can't understand why they took them."

Mrs Wilson said her aunt called for sandbags at 1pm yesterday. They arrived at 3pm - but water was already inside.

Mrs Stacey has lived in the low-lying house for more than 50 years. Her niece added: "She can't believe it's happened again."

Sally Fleming, of The Village Store, said: "You don't expect this kind of thing in the middle of summer - it's absolutely crazy."

Partner Tom Fitzpatrick said meetings had heard that defences could not be justified to protect four homes.

"That doesn't take into account the inconvenience caused to thousands of people.

"The Government should get involved because things are only going to get worse."

A council spokeswoman said it was asked to move Mrs Stacey's sandbags because they were rotten. But Mrs Wilson denied they were all rotten and said they had been covered.

Meanwhile, a 20-man emergency team battled to save houses in neighbouring Sutton-Upon- Derwent.

Five 1,000 gallon tankers sucked hundreds of thousands of gallons from roads and paths. One elderly couple's house - damaged in 2000 - was flooded. Officials said the whole village was under threat at one stage.

The A166, between Dunnington and Stamford Bridge, was closed yesterday due to floods. It re-opened today.

The Environment Agency said the rivers Ouse and Derwent stood at 3.1 metres above normal levels. The Ouse was falling steadily, a spokeswoman confirmed, and although the Derwent was rising steadily it was nearing its peak and was not a concern.

A flood watch in the Vale of York and the two flood warnings in York - at Naburn and on riverside footpaths in the city centre - may all be lifted tomorrow morning.

Heavy rainfall was blamed for a car leaving the road and crashing into a garden hedge in York.

Police said it appeared that a silver Citroen Saxo aquaplaned, collided with the near side of a red Seat and then hit the hedge in Moor Lane, Dringhouses.

Paramedics took a 73-year-old woman to York Hospital with chest and leg injuries. Another person suffered minor injuries in the crash. A dog in the Citroen was taken to a vet with a leg injury.

Updated: 14:17 Friday, August 13, 2004