EX-Lady Lumley's student turned Government minister, John Healey is being urged to make a special case of his old town of Pickering in the Gazette & Herald-backed campaign to get the goahead for the £6.5 million flood defence scheme.

Mr Healey, who went on to fight the 1992 general election for Labour in Ryedale, before winning a seat as an MP, is now the new floods minister and Ryedale District Council leader, Coun Keith Knaggs wants the authority to make a personal plea to the minister.

His move came during a debate on the Pickering flooding crisis at a Ryedale District Council meeting on Thursday when Coun Howard Keal successfully moved that in addition the issue over the defence scheme should be taken up with the new Environment Secretary, Hilary Benn. "The Pickering floods were predicted, preventable and shameful, " he said adding that £700,000 had already been spent on drawing up the scheme which was "already to go".

Had it been done when it was first put on the drawing board many businesses and families would have been spared the misery of the floods, said Coun Keal who estimated that the cost of the recovery work would be as much as £1 million.

But while £200 million was being earmarked by the Government for defence work it was not scheduled to come on stream until 2010. "Pickering can't wait that long, " he told the council.

"The town has suffered six floods since 1999 - it's no time for action." He said the district council had stood by Pickering residents in earmarking £1 million in its budget towards the defence scheme. The people of Malton and Norton were now reaping the benefits of the £9.5 million scheme carried out in the twin towns.

"They don't know the defences are there they are so discreet, but they do when the heavy rain comes because there's no flooding."

Coun Keal said Mr Benn needed to act now to safeguard Pickering's crisis. "We don't want excuses, " he added.

Pickering councillor Arthur Aslett said: "It's time we told the Environment Agency to take on the Government over this scheme." He said the floods had caused major disruption to the town's health centre and clinic because of power failures and there was no back-up generator because the Primary Care Trust would not fund it at a cost of £5,500.

"Pickering may be a small town that hasn't really been heard of in Whitehall - but they soon will. We've had more than our fair share of floods."

Coun Lindsay Burr said her hair and beauty salon had been one of the affected businesses. "It was only a business and not my home. Families who were hit have had many sleepless nights caused by worry resulting from the floods."

Coun Knaggs said he had written to Ryedale MP John Greenway to enlist his help and to ask him and Vale of York MP Anne McIntosh to initiative a special debate on Pickering's floods in Parliament. The fact that Mr Healey had historically such strong connections with the town should be used to influence an early go ahead for the defence work.

Ryedale District Council was seeking an early meeting with the Environment Agency and was seeking support from Yorkshire Forward. "It was not just Pickering that was affected by the floods but such places as Normanby and Thornton-le-Clay." He said drains had overflowed and river banks burst.