Regional flood defence chiefs have been put on the spot after a meeting between Ryedale flood victims and Agriculture Minister Elliot Morley.

The Ryedale residents issued a blunt demand to this Friday's meeting of the Yorkshire Regional Flood Defence Committee: pay for Malton and Norton flood defences now.

Mr Morley said he expected regional bosses to pay up, saying: "I'm convinced that it (Malton and Norton's flood defence scheme) will go ahead. They (regional flood defence chiefs) are there to look after the urgent needs of people in the community.

"The people of Malton and Norton and other flood-hit areas do have very real needs."

A delegation of Ryedale flood victims who travelled down to London on a specially-chartered battle bus met the minister in his Agriculture Ministry office to plead their case.

Ryedale MP John Greenway, who also attended the meeting, said the Government had done its bit by putting up £4.4 million towards the £4.9 million cost of clearing up after last year's floods, and pledging 65 per cent of the cost of new flood defences.

The message to flood defence chiefs who will meet on Friday was simple. He said: "Now you pay."

Howard Keal, who led the delegation to meet Mr Morley, said he was disappointed the Minister had not pledged 100 per cent of the cost of the defences.

"As far as that goes we are going away empty-handed," he said. "But what he (Mr Morley) did indicate is that he has put pressure on the flood defence committee to face up to its responsibility to the region. That is welcome.

"The pressure is now on the committee to recognise that it must go ahead with the scheme."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Tony Blair is coming under mounting pressure to boost Government funds to improve flood defences.

The influential Commons Agriculture Select Committee branded an additional £51 million over four years as "insufficient", and highlighted a Ministry of Agriculture study which concluded an extra

£100 million a year was needed for new flood defences and repair work.

It also urged Ministers to change the local government funding system to allow extra cash for areas hit by floods to be delivered that year rather than later.

Updated: 10:28 Wednesday, January 31, 2001