A £125,000 grant scheme for businesses in Tadcaster hit by floods for the second time in six years has been created by a Yorkshire council.

Selby District Council is to hand out grants of £3,500 to around 35 businesses affected by the flooding brought on by Storm Franklin in February.

Tadcaster was also badly hit by the Boxing Day floods of 2015, which caused the partial collapse of the town’s 18th century bridge.

Tadcaster has experienced “unprecedented hardship over this period” according to a council report, with shoppers looking elsewhere, businesses unable to insure their properties and the impact of Covid, as well as delays to planned flood defences.

Tadcaster town centre had a commercial vacancy rate of 18 per cent – twice the national average.

Presenting the report to a full council meeting, chief executive Janet Waggott said: “Tadcaster was promised £12 million worth of flood alleviation scheme to it in 2019 and that has not been forthcoming.

York Press: The clean up after Tadcaster floods in February. Picture: PA Wire

“Because the floods have happened so regularly, there are lots of businesses that cannot get insurance and it’s because of that I’ve taken the decision I have.”

Businesses have until the end of the month to apply, with the council reserving “further ability to open funding where further need requires”.

The cash is to be targeted at small businesses with turnovers of less than £100,000, though Ms Waggott said there would be some flexibility after questioning from Tadcaster councillor Cllr Andrew Lee.

Cllr Lee said: “I think it will really benefit some of the businesses in Tadcaster.

“We’ve seen devastation again this year, just like we did in 2015.

“A lot of them can’t get insurance – there were really terrible scenes to witness.”

The cash will help businesses hit by loss of tools, equipment or stock, personal hardship due to loss of income and those needing repairs.

The scheme is being funded by the council as the government has given no indication that relief funding will be made available for places affected by Storm Franklin.

The River Wharfe burst its banks in the early hours of Monday, February 21 this year, submerging the main road which runs through the town.

The incident sparked questions over why promised flood defences had still not materialised.

It came more than six years since the devastating Boxing Day floods of 2015 caused the partial collapse of the town’s 18th century bridge.

Last year, it was announced that a £11 million flood defence scheme for Tadcaster had been delayed for two years and would not be completed until at least 2026.

The Environment Agency said in November that modelling for proposed defences produced “unexpected results”, leading to an “unavoidable delay”.