North Yorkshire Council are claiming that work undertaken in the village over the past few weeks to clear out drains will reduce the likelihood of flooding. Workers doing the clearing out and power washing of surface water drains on Hungate and St. John's Road told us that this was the first time in many years that this had happened and that it should make a significant difference to the likelihood of overflowing drains in the centre of the village.

In their official statement on the matter, NYC were more guarded. The Council’s Corporate Director of Environment, Karl Battersby said: “Recent repairs to gullies in Bishop Monkton will have a positive effect on the drainage of surface water in this location, but it is not possible to guarantee the area will be free from flooding in future, due to variables such as the weather conditions and flooding of local water courses."

So what difference will this work have made and what impact will it have on flooding? And how is this related to the idea, mooted in the context of the Avant Homes housing development, of extending the surface water drain which runs under Hungate so that it discharges into the beck further down Boroughbridge Road away from the centre of the village.

We asked two villagers who have studied the issue in detail to give their assessments -

Paul Collinson - "If the solution to our flooding issues were as simple as drain clearance, you would have thought this would have been instigated years ago. If it's “many years” since the last drain clearance, why is this the case? We need to ensure that this work is done at least on an annual basis. Perhaps the PC can take this up with YW and NYC?.

On the wider issue relating to the Avant homes development, I believe it remains imperative that the proposed new surface water drain is extended well down the village and certainly not restricted to a connection by the Lamb and Flag bus stop, which I think is the current plan."

Bob Upton - "The works that they have carried out may have solved the problem of standing water on Hungate, but the blockages that they have removed reduced the flow of water into the beck beside the bus stop. Will the increased flow cause flooding further downstream? This 'repair' may well have consequences elsewhere in the village. If the plan to dig up the entire length of Hungate is adopted, hopefully this outfall by the bus stop can be incorporated into the new pipe."

Two other things to note. Several residents have reported that drains on Hungate have overflowed during rain since the work was carried out. Also, it's worth mentioning also that the village's Flood Action Group is investigating whether there might be some way of accessing the community funds likely to be forthcoming from the developer of the solar farm near Mains Lane. They believe there might be a way of alleviating the flooding risk 'further upstream' by undertaking works on higher ground between the village and the A61.

If you have any further views on this, do let us know by email