THE Environment Agency has revealed how it will protect hundreds of homes and businesses in York from flooding while it is replacing the old Foss Barrier gate.

It says it has installed specially designed large steel beams into the river channel to act as a temporary barrier between the River Ouse and the River Foss, whilst works to replace the permanent gate take place.

"These temporary barriers will ensure the Foss Barrier station continues to provide the same level of flood protection for York that the old gate did when river levels are high," said a spokeswoman.

"They will remain in place until the new gate is installed and operable."

The agency currently has flood warnings in place for properties alongside the Ouse in York after it rose following heavy rain and snow in the Dales catchment.

The barrier prevent floodwaters from the Ouse flowing up the River Foss and flooding properties alongside the river. Huge pumps simultaneously pump water out of the Foss into the Ouse to prevent it backing up the Foss.

Work to remove the existing lifting gate and install a taller one starts on Monday and will take about four days to complete. The work was initially planned for spring 2020, but was delayed.

The agency says the final work on the barrier will better protect local homes, businesses and infrastructure, completing a £38 million upgrade to the Foss Barrier and Pumping Station, which was launched after it was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of water coming down the Foss on Boxing Day 2015 and hundreds of properties were inundated.

All eight pumps have been replaced by bigger ones with greater capacity and new back-up generators mean they can operate during a power failure. The upgrade has included modernisation of the control systems so that they are fully automated.