A £300,000 flood funding boost for Barnoldswick has been welcomed by campaigners in the town.

The Environment Agency has approved funding for flood alleviation work at Barnoldswick’s Ghyll Meadows. The funding will pay for a new culvert beneath the Ghyll Meadows estate.

Barnoldswick councillor David Whipp mobilised volunteers on Boxing Day 2015 to sandbag Skipton Road and prevent flooding on the estate.

“I’m delighted that we are finally getting approval for this flood funding,” he said. “We’ve been working hard to get this project for the past two years – now the final hurdle has been overcome, I can’t wait to see work begin.

“Around 25 properties on the 1960s estate are at risk of flooding – something that became a repeated reality for many householders around the turn of the century, with some people flooded out three times.

“About 15 years ago, we got a new length of culvert installed from Coates Lane to Meadow Way and this kept the estate flood free for many years, but in November and December 2015 it got touch and go with rising water levels. Things came to a head on Boxing Day.

“There was a magnificent community effort with over a hundred people working to keep floodwater from people’s homes. We began by digging up grass verges to fill makeshift ‘sandbags’ and eventually put around 60 tons of material along Skipton Road to hold back the water. We then got three agricultural machines to pump the water downstream of the houses.

Barnoldswick Town and Pendle councils provided funding for a wall along Skipton Road to do the job of the temporary sandbags. A new culvert would further reduce the flood risk.

Staff in Pendle Council’s engineering team have designed a new culvert and applied for funding from the Environment Agency to pay for its installation.

“It’s fantastic news this has finally been approved,” he said. “It’ll be a great relief to the homeowners who’ve worried about flooding for 20 years.”