Five Yorkshire farmers have claimed victory in their High Court fight to save meadows on the banks of the River Derwent from what they call an ecological catastrophe.

But the Environment Agency was equally adamant it had emerged the winner of the legal dispute involving the meadows - which cost £50,000.

The farmers insisted the meadows, known as The Ings, were suffering as a direct result of the Barmby Tidal Barrage which is keeping waters of the River Derwent at an artificial minimum of four feet deep.

The agency said there was no proof the barrage was causing damage but, after hours of negotiations outside London's High Court, the two sides struck an 11th hour deal.

The agency, claiming it was not legally obliged to do so, agreed to carry out a review of whether the barrage will have a "significant effect" on the meadows.

Mr Justice Newman said that both sides had the same objective - ensuring the proper management of the River Derwent and its resources.

The court heard in July that the meadows made up ten per cent of the UK's dwindling resource of alluvial wetlands and were home to rare flora and wildfowl.

The farmers - with the backing of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and the World Wide Fund for Nature - challenged the Environment Agency's refusal to carry out a full assessment of the barrage's impact on the protected environment, saying the use of the barrage to keep water levels artificially high was steadily transforming the area's ecology.

The four feet minimum depth policy was also having a "catastrophic" impact on hay crop yields, the farmers claimed.

The Environment Agency is working with English Nature and Yorkshire Water Services Ltd to find a balance between water supply and environmental issues.

Mr Justice Newman said he did not accept that the case had "served no practical purpose".

The farmers were "entitled to reasonably conclude they had achieved something of significance".

Farmer Peter Floyd said: "We have achieved something which is considerably substantial. The Environment Agency has consistently refused to look at the operation of the barrage which is why we went to court. I'm delighted."