ENVIRONMENT Agency officers have been asked to explain why a village near York - badly hit by flooding in 2000 - may never be considered worth protecting.

Selby MP John Grogan is pressing the agency for details of the cost-benefit analysis under which Elvington does not currently qualify for flood defences.

He is also asking them to look at the idea of using temporary pumps when flooding threatens, in the hope that this might be significantly cheaper than a permanent pumping station and therefore might qualify for funding.

While only a limited number of homes were inundated when the Derwent burst its banks in November 2000, almost all residents were hit by the flooding of roads into and out of the village.

But Mr Grogan, speaking after a meeting in Elvington yesterday with agency officers and parish council representatives, says he understands the disruption to motorists does not count as a major factor to be taken into account when assessing the cost benefits of a flood scheme.

He said a notional scheme to protect the village had been drawn up at an estimated cost of £750,000, but it had no prospect at present of going into even the agency's long-term plans.

Mr Grogan said the Government was currently looking at changing the strict application of such cost benefit analysis to take more account of the social and human costs of flooding.

It was possible that Elvington might benefit under these changes. But in the meantime, he wanted to know details of the current analysis to discover why the village lost out.

Meanwhile, representatives of Elvington Park Ltd have spoken to Mr Grogan and several local parish council representatives about their plans to expand flying out of Elvington Airfield, recently revealed in the Evening Press.

The company has made an application to the Civil Aviation Authority for the aerodrome to take fare-paying passengers for the first time.

A meeting yesterday was told that talks had now taken place between the company and CAA officials, and a decision was expected within three to four months.

Mr Grogan said company representatives said that if more flying happened at the airfield, it would reduce the amount of other runway-based activity, such as rallies, which have caused complaints recently because of noise.

Updated: 11:50 Tuesday, February 19, 2002