Flood victims today feared a return of their worst nightmare as weathermen predicted more heavy rain after a weekend of snow in the hills.

Rivers in North and East Yorkshire remained on Flood Watch as furious businesses at Stamford Bridge blasted a "disgusting" situation which could see delays to a proposed flood defence scheme.

Weather experts forecast further heavy rain and hill snow for early tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday.

Although the Environment Agency sought to reassure communities that there was no major cause for concern at this stage, Malton flood victim John Wragge said he was very concerned that snow which settled on the moors yesterday could melt quickly during rainfall.

He and his wife, Fiona, returned to Ryedale yesterday after a short stay in Scotland to allow building work to be carried out to repair their flood damaged home.

"The River Derwent has remained high since the floods and there is a lot of standing water. The last thing we need is a heavy downfall of rain and snow at this point.

"If there is a lot of snow up on the hills and moorland, our only hope is that the snow melts very slowly," Mr Wragge said.

Stamford Bridge businesses which have been flooded twice in two years have expected the Environment Agency to begin work on a flood defence scheme.

Before November's floods, the Environment Agency had been planning to begin work in 2001-2002.

But it has now emerged that the scheme could be put back unless the Yorkshire Regional Flood Defence Committee agrees this Friday to a 37 per cent increase in local authority levies to the agency.

The project is competing for money with a range of other schemes and improvements to existing defences which are needed after flooding across the region in November.

Neil Townsend, landlord of the Swordsman pub, which is still not fully open after the floods, said: "This is disgusting. We thought the defences were going ahead."

Martin Long, owner of Homecare, said it was "ridiculous" that the November flooding could delay the flood defence scheme.

"The village will be killed if it gets flooded again," he said.

Meanwhile, two people and their dog were missing today in the Yorkshire Dales after going walking near Cray, north of Kettlewell. An RAF search and rescue team was out looking for the couple, thought to be from Bingley, West Yorkshire, who did not return to their car after going out walking.

Motorists across North Yorkshire faced misery on the roads, with the A169 between Pickering and Whitby closed last night when gritters were pulled off the road because drivers were "out of hours". The A171 and A174 near Whitby were only passable with extreme care.

Updated: 11:19 Monday, February 05, 2001