ANGRY residents have hit out after council chiefs decided not to deploy new flood defences in an area of York, leaving several homes marooned.

The Aqua Barrier was trialled in the Clementhorpe area last year by City of York Council in a bid to protect dozens of homes from the threat of rising waters.

When the River Ouse burst its banks again this week, residents in River Street expected it to be put up again and were amazed when no one turned up to install it.

One resident, Pat Lockton, said when she contacted the council, she was told the barriers had not worked last time and wouldn’t be used again.

She said the barriers appeared to her to have been very successful last time, and the failure to deploy them again meant residents in some properties near the river couldn’t get out of their front door.

“They were absolutely brilliant,” she said. “It’s incredible. We’re up in arms about it.”

Another resident, Margaret Bunce, said: “We are all pretty disgusted.”

Local councillor, Dave Merrett, said he had been told by officers the council had decided to abandon the barriers, but no one had told local residents or the ward councillors until now, or said what else would be done to protect the area. “It’s a shambles,” he claimed.

But a council spokeswoman said the trial barrier had not been put up in Clementhorpe this week because the river was not forecast to rise to levels which cause internal flooding of properties. “A report is being drafted to go to members outlining details of the trial and will seek guidance on how to proceed in the future,” she said.

The aqua barrier worked with a system of plastic units, which linked up with a rubber seal to hold back the water at the junction of Clementhorpe and Terry Avenue.

The pilot scheme was carried out by Birse Civils and AquaBarrier Systems, meaning that none of the costs were met by the council.


Useful contacts

For sand bags and help cleaning up:

• City of York Council – 01904 551550.

• North Yorkshire County Council – 01609 780780.

• North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service – 01609 780150.

If you live in a flood-risk area you can get warnings sent direct to you by phone, text message or email.

For details, phone the Environment Agency’s Floodline on 0845 988 1188.