FLOOD prevention projects in Ryedale have been given a £50,000 boost.

The cash will help several villages in northern Ryedale reduce their flood risk by using assorted natural measures that have proved successful as part of Pickering’s Slowing the Flow scheme.

The grant, one of 34 being made by the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) across England, has been awarded to the Yorkshire Derwent Partnership, a group made up of various local bodies and charities in the catchment area.

Communities in Thornton-le-Dale, Sinnington, Hovingham and Gilling East will benefit from the money, which will “support local schemes which work with nature to reduce flood risk”.

These villages have been subject to severe flooding in recent years and water quality has also been an issue.

The programme of works will extend through until April 2020 and include installing leaky dams, bankside stabilisation and helping land managers to improve soil and land management.

Jeremy Walker, chairman of the partnership, said: “We aim to work with natural processes to improve water level management, water quality and the natural environment and thus bring multiple benefits to local communities.

“This grant will enable us to extend and scale up the kind of work done through the Slowing the Flow project in Pickering, not just to do more for Sinnington, but also new work on other tributaries of the River Rye.

“These projects will help us better understand the cumulative impact of natural flood risk reduction measures on the wider catchment.”

Terry Smithson of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, who submitted the bid on behalf of the partnership, said: “We’re delighted at securing one of the Government’s natural flood management grants.

"It was a very competitive process, involving a significant amount of input from colleagues at the Environment Agency and North Yorkshire County Council in particular, so success is a tribute to the strength of our partnership working and the benefits it can bring for both people and the environment.”

Ryedale MP Kevin Hollinrake added: “This grant will enable the Derwent Partnership to build on the pioneering work at Pickering and Sinnington to help more local communities.”