THOUSANDS of householders should continue to get insurance flood cover after a computer model calculated that York has a one-in-80 to one-in-90 chance of another disaster like November 2000.

The Environment Agency is also to consider fighting flooding problems along the Ouse by tackling some of the root causes miles upstream in the Dales.

News of the developments emerged today as the Ouse and its tributaries was placed on a Flood Watch from Catterick down to Cawood, following heavy rain yesterday and overnight, and with more forecast for today.

Topcliffe, near Thirsk, was recorded as Britain's wettest place yesterday, with 1.4 inches of rain.

The agency commissioned the flood model in the wake of the 2000 floods and the results have long been awaited.

Its findings on the odds of a repeat disaster are good news for homeowners seeking household insurance. The agency said the insurance industry demands a minimum of a one-in-75 chance of such a flood occurring again, and therefore householders who were protected from flooding in 2000 - or whose defences failed but have since been improved, for example at Rawcliffe - should continue to receive flood cover on their insurance policies.

Dales Area flood defence manager Peter Holmes revealed that radical, "big" solutions to flooding being considered many miles upstream in the Dales include diverting river flows into large flood washlands and reversing landowners' long-established policies of "channelling" upland areas to drain rainwater away quickly.

This would allow water to soak into the ground and be released much more slowly into watercourses.

"The cost of these schemes is high, but they have the potential to benefit a large number of residents and businesses," said Mr Holmes.

He revealed that it would take about 18 months to develop the strategy, gathering more data, consulting with stakeholders, conducting environmental studies and identifying opportunities and constraints before producing a final plan.

While the agency developed the strategy, it could not begin building any new flood defences in the York area - where almost 200 homes are still unprotected - until at least 2007.

"Where flooding occurred and no defences currently exist, as in parts of York and Naburn, the need to reduce the flood risk to these areas will be considered as part of the overall strategy."

Mr Holmes said that repairs to defences at Rawcliffe, where about 150 homes were flooded in 2000, meant they were now up to a standard consistent with defences elsewhere in York.

He said at Selby and Barlby, work on improving flood defences was due to start later this year after being given special status by the Yorkshire Regional Flood Committee in February 2001.

The model has revealed that much more water was flowing through York at the height of the floods than had originally been thought and significantly more than in the previous flood of 1982 - 583 cubic metres per second, equivalent to a swimming pool of water every second. The figure compares with only 7.5 cubic metres per second on an average summer day.

Updated: 10:38 Tuesday, July 01, 2003