FLOODS Minister Elliot Morley has vowed to do all he can to ensure Stamford Bridge gets its long-awaited flood defences before next winter.

The Minister gave the assurance after being alerted to potential delays by East Yorkshire MP Greg Knight - after he in turn had been alerted by the Evening Press.

We revealed last week how the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) had still not agreed to fund its share of the cost of the project, less than two months before work was due to start.

If Defra approval does not come through by May, the project will be delayed and defences will not be watertight in time for the next winter flooding season.

The news has worried businesses in the village centre which were devastated in 1999 and 2000, and came within a couple of inches of being inundated again last winter.

Mr Knight requested an urgent meeting with Mr Morley after being contacted by the Evening Press, which has been campaigning since 2000 for defences to be built in the village.

The MP told the paper today that he had informed Mr Morley about the problems that would be caused by any delay.

The Minister had told him that the Environment Agency had submitted its plans for protecting one river bank to Defra some time ago, but that proposals for the other bank had only been submitted recently.

Mr Morley had said that Defra had to deal with the whole scheme rather than looking first at one bank and then at the other.

He said a number of complex criteria had to be looked at, but he would press Defra officials to process the matter as quickly as possible.

Mr Knight said he did not believe the Minister had previously appreciated the urgency of the matter. "He is now fully aware of that."

Chris Brack, leader of village businesses who are campaigning for the defences, welcomed the Minister's decision to press for a swift decision from his department. "We need all the pressure to be exerted that is possible."

Updated: 10:45 Wednesday, March 19, 2003