HAVING composed this letter underneath Naburn-within-Stillingfleet mine, I will help Will Stanton, (Letters December 16) with a suggestion.

The greatest flooding threat to Naburn, Cawood, Kelfield etc., lies not with mining but with the bottleneck in the River Ouse down river at Selby.

Just like a bypass will relieve the A19 in Selby, so would a managed flood overflow system do the same for water. Easy solution, yes, but it would cost millions.

Having "flood watched" in my locality, I venture to say that both mining and modern farming techniques have prevented further flooding in the area by containing the water.

Mark Seabrooke,

Mining Electrician,

Friends of the Underground,

Chapel Walk,

Riccall,

York.