FLOODING bosses have agreed to spend £378 million over the next decade on improving defences across Yorkshire.

A long-term plan - setting out where money will be spent on building new defences or improving existing ones - was agreed by members of the Yorkshire Regional Flood Defence Committee.

It will now be submitted to the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) for approval.

"This plan is extremely good news for those communities at risk," said the committee chairman, Professor Roy Ward.

Much of the necessary work has been identified by the Environment Agency following the floods of March 1999 and November 2000, with some schemes brought forward using extra money made available by DEFRA.

Defences are now being built on the Derwent at Malton and Norton, and existing defences are being repaired and strengthened on the River Aire at Gowdall, while new defences are planned later this year on the Derwent at Stamford Bridge.

The committee also agreed a £4.6 million maintenance programme for existing defences over the next 12 months, to ensure that they work as intended and that river channels are free of obstruction.

The agency will spend a further £1.6 million over the coming year on improvements to the flood warning system.

"This will involve the installation of new telemetry systems to measure river flows and levels, improved river-flow forecasting and additional rainfall stations," said a spokesman.

The committee also backed proposals by the agency to spend £120,000 on repairs to flood defences in North Street, alongside the River Ouse in York city centre.

The agency had warned that unless seepage through flood walls was prevented, emergency sandbagging would be needed during flood events.

In a severe flood, an electricity sub-station, serving a large area, including pumps needed to deal with flooding, could be knocked out.

Updated: 10:37 Saturday, April 13, 2002