WITH snow on the ground and more expected to fall, these are worrying moments for Elvington villagers.

They fear that when the cold snap ends, melting snow will cause the River Derwent to burst its banks again.

The misery this would bring is all too well known. More than 120 Elvington homes were flooded in 2000, and the problem has returned twice since.

Villagers would sleep a little easier tonight if their request for improved flood defences had been met. But the Environment Agency turned them down.

So there will be anger in Elvington today at the agency's expensive blunder. Workers dug out a lagoon alongside the Derwent as a haven for small fish during future floods. But no one sought planning permission for this folly and they have been forced to fill it in again.

Total cost to the taxpayer: £30,000.

Here we have the archetypal instance of a public authority pouring money into a black hole.

Such a misjudgement raises concerns about the lax procedures of an organisation always quick to prosecute the mistakes of others. It also exposes dubious priorities.

While the agency has a duty to protect river life, that should not be placed ahead of the need to protect people and property. If there is money available for the Elvington area, this should be spent first on a flood protection scheme for villagers.

Updated: 09:37 Thursday, February 24, 2005