MORE than nine months after the great floods disaster, dozens of victims across North and East Yorkshire are still waiting to get back into their homes.

And others are still living upstairs while repairs to their ground floor rooms are completed.

A handful of properties are still being refurbished at Rawcliffe, York, which was badly hit in the November floods.

Ron Healey, whose home in Howard Drive was flooded to a depth of 16 inches, is one of those still waiting to get back in, and continues to live in a former Ministry of Defence property off Boroughbridge Road.

"I thought I would be back within six months at the most," he said. "I don't know when I will get back in."

He said it had been impossible to make a start on repairs - including fresh plastering, rewiring, redecorating and replacing floorboards and joists - until the property had finally dried out in March.

He said other problems had then arisen involving contractors and surveyors, and he had found it difficult making decisions as he lived alone following the death of his wife earlier last year.

At Naburn, a couple of properties have still not been re-occupied.

Villagers Heather and John Page, who do not expect to return to their home until October, said they had experienced difficulties with contractors and insurers.

But the work had also taken long than normal because they had decided to raise the level of the ground floor by about 8-10 inches to take it above the flood level.

Mrs Page said her children had adapted well to all the changes but were looking forward to eventually moving back home.

At Barlby, near Selby, the Evening Press estimates that about half a dozen residents are still waiting to come home. And about 30 more are still waiting at Gowdall.

Ken and Sylvia Pearson, both in their 70s, are still living in a caravan in their backyard at Barlby Road, Barlby - and they won't be home for at least another six weeks.

Ken, 71, said today: "It's an old house and has taken a lot of drying out. I think we will be in the caravan at least another month or more.

"Since we got the warmer weather it's been easier, but during the cold winter months it was much harder."

At its height, the water reached 28 inches in the couple's living room.

Others in Barlby may have to wait even longer than the Pearsons to get home.

One East View family are not expecting to move back in until Christmas.

Several houses on the Third Estate are still only part-renovated.

Residents are returning to live in upstairs rooms while the rest of the work is completed.

At least half a dozen properties in Norton and Old Malton are still undergoing refurbishment.

Neighbours Marianne Jackson and Donald Horsley are still having to live upstairs at their respective homes in St Nicholas Street, Norton, while refurbishment work continues below.

Donald said the repair delays had been caused by persistent damp, eventually resolved by filling the foundations in with concrete.

Click here for last year's flooding nightmare

Updated: 14:00 Thursday, August 16, 2001