THE THREAT of serious flood damage was marked officially over for residents of one of the worst hit areas in Wharfedale.

MP for Ripon and Skipton David Curry unveiled a plaque last week to officially open the new £1.1 million flood defences protecting Castley Lane, near Pool-in-Wharfedale.

Castley Lane resident Gavin Barlow campaigned for the defence to be put in place after the floods in 2000 caused £60,000 worth of damage to his home.

Mr Barlow said: "We did a lot of work bringing this scheme forward as originally it wouldn't have been completed for another few years.

"Although the embankment has been finished for a while it hasn't actually been tested yet so we don't actually know if it works or not, but I am very confident that it will.

"Mr Curry took up and our case and has been very helpful in lobbying the Environment Agency and getting this sorted out. He has been very good."

Mr Curry said: "The people of Castley Lane have had to face repeated flooding, living with disruption, destruction and uncertainty.

"They now have the security of proper protection so they can get on with their lives with the river as a neighbour but not as an intruder.

"I am delighted this scheme is now complete and am grateful that the Yorkshire Regional Flood Defence Committee and Defra recognised the urgency of taking action."

Mr Barlow said: "Our house has actually been hit twice.

"The flood in 2000 was the worst as we were relatively new to the area and weren't prepared.

"We had gone to bed at 11pm as the water level had dropped by three feet and we didn't think we needed to move any furniture.

"But at 2am as the reservoirs at Fewston and Swinsty overflowed, the water came from the Washburn like a tidal wave.

"Really the depth of the water doesn't matter.

"The plaster still all has to be taken off and replaced, the house still needs drying out.

"And there are so many hidden costs.

"We had to hire dehumidifiers and run those 24 hours a day for three months. We had to hire skips to put all the damaged property in.

"We also had to cook on a two-ring camping stove and basically the downstairs part of the house was unusable.

"It took six months for our lives to get back to normal."

The two-kilometre flood bank was completed at the beginning of this year and protects 16 houses and three farms.

It is constructed largely from earth and is five feet high in places

Mr Barlow said: "The appearance is fantastic.

"It slightly impedes our view of the river but that is neither here nor there.

"I think they have done a really good job - it looks almost natural."