Ryedale councillors plan to write to John Prescott demanding flood defences.

Members of Malton Town Council agreed to write to the Deputy Prime Minister to strengthen their case for Ryedale to be given a high priority.

Coun Gerry Cooper said: "We must make it clear that we mean business and that we have not forgotten John Prescott's pledge to Ryedale," he said.

Coun Cooper's suggestion came about when members decided to donate £1,000 to the Archbishop of York's flood fund.

"This is a derisory amount considering there have been 200 homes flooded in Malton and Norton," he said.

"What good is £1,000 going to do; we'll need much more than this to get things back to normal.

"It is up to the Government to sort this problem out and we should make this fact clear to them."

But Coun David Lloyd-Williams said every little helped and rejected claims that the amount was inadequate.