Flash floods which brought chaos to homes and businesses across the district were caused by "inadequate" maintenance of rivers, drains and sewers, councillors have been told.

An independent report into the flooding, which left parts of the Aire Valley under metres of water, highlights a number of problems which contributed to the problem.

It makes a series of recommendations on how to stop a repeat of the scenes of 2000, including calling on developers to take more account of flooding when building new developments.

The report's author, Professor Richard Ashley, of Sheffield University, said protecting the district was a 'mammoth task' which needed more money from the Government.

Prof Ashley's report states that the flooding, which saw the River Aire reach its highest levels for 50 years, was a result of:

l rivers, smaller watercourses and culverts bursting their banks

l local and main drainage being overwhelmed by heavy rainfall

l inadequate maintenance and repair of rivers, watercourses, drains and sewers

l random problems of blockages, operational errors and vandalism.

When the rain came down in November 2000, it left a trail of destruction along the Aire Valley, in Skipton, Keighley, Bingley, Baildon, Esholt and Apperley Bridge.

In Stockbridge, Keighley, 290 homes and 15 businesses were hit in the worst flooding the area had experienced in 50 years.

And Bradford Council, which commissioned the report in response to increasing complaints from the public about flooding, said planning regulations should be tightened on new developments to ensure flood prevention.

Dave Melling, senior policy officer for rural affairs at Bradford Council, said that to help prevent flooding, work needed to be done to stop water running from the surface so quickly straight into the overworked drains.

Heavy downpours in August this year caused flash flooding in Haworth, with drains unable to cope.

Ways of slowing water flow included planting more trees, creating ponds to collect water and putting in tanks to hold it. Using water features in central Bradford as somewhere to keep the water run-off were under consideration, he said.

In August a flood action development worker was recruited, funded by the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund and Bingley Voluntary Action, to help communities limit any future problems from flooding.

Glen Miller said: "Every development, be it one or 100 houses, should be assessed for its impact on flooding. The fewer green field sites we have, the more potential there is for flooding."

Councillor Anne Hawkesworth, the council's executive member for the environment, said it was a massive task faced by Bradford Council and others nationwide, requiring extra Government cash.

"We need to put stricter requirements on developers to make sure they give due consideration to the problem of flooding," she said.

The Environment Agency said a new £1.5 million flood defence system had stopped any repeat of the flooding in Stockbridge.

Since 2000 there have been an unprecedented 27 flood warnings on the River Aire and River Wharfe. And in the next ten years in the Bradford district the agency will be investigating four new schemes to reduce the risk of floods, spending in the region of £3.5 million.

These will be in Bingley and Shipley, Gargrave, Kildwick, Cononley and Cross Hills.

David Wilkes, area flood defence manager for the Environment Agency, said: "The long-term strategic approach recommended by this report is commendable and will help to solve potential problems before they have a devastating effect on the community."

A spokesman for Yorkshire Water, which is responsible for much of the drainage across the district, said: "We are constantly upgrading our sewers and increasing their capacity, using combined sewers and storage tanks to hold storm water."

The report also highlights climate change as a key factor for increasing the risk of flooding.

It will be published in the next few months and a full conference will be held during the winter to discuss the findings.