THE battle to protect Stamford Bridge from floods will be a race against time, following news that work will not start until July - at the earliest.

The Environment Agency says the £1 million project will take about ten months to complete.

It still hopes to provide basic protection to properties in the commercial heart of the village before the start of the next winter flooding season, provided there is no delay beyond July.

Landscaping and other work to improve the appearance of the defences would take place over subsequent months.

Planning and other problems have already delayed a start on the project over this winter.

An agency spokesman said the work could not now begin before July because it was currently reviewing whether three properties - excluded from its original defence plans - could be included in the scheme after all.

The owners of the three properties, The Cornmill Restaurant, Jo Barry's home and shop and the Weir Caravan Park, protested when the plans were announced last year. The agency told them that not only would they be unprotected, but their flooding risks would actually worsen because the new defences would displace floodwater towards them.

After lobbying by village representatives and East Riding of Yorkshire Council, and also at the request of Floods Minister Elliot Morley, the agency agreed earlier this year to look again at whether they could be protected.

The agency said yesterday that the results of that review should be known by early next month.

Stamford Bridge district councillor and parish council chairwoman Hilary Saynor said: "It's good news they are hoping to get the work done as quickly as that. We have had 18 months for completion bandied around before."

Updated: 11:07 Wednesday, March 06, 2002