Conservative leader William Hague today pledged support to an independent investigation into the floods that devastated Ryedale.

Tory leader William Hague shares a joke with Paul Tate-Smith of Sundella soft drinks today

He promised to do all he could to help Ryedale MP John Greenway in his call for an inquiry after hundreds of people were made homeless and acres of farmland ruined when the River Derwent flooded last month. Mr Hague was speaking on a whistlestop tour to meet prospective Ryedale councillors at the start of his campaign to bring Conservatives back into local government. "I will do everything I can to support John Greenway with his call for an investigation into the handling of the flood by the Environment Agency," he said.

There was, Mr Hague said, already going to be a review of flood warning and defence systems and he believed the handling and cause of the floods should be investigated alongside.

"People have a right to expect support and they need people to stick up for them," he said.

The reason for the visit to Norton was for Mr Hague to meet up with many of the candidates standing for election in the local government elections on May 6.

Waiting to talk to him were ex-Lady Lumley's schoolgirl, Kate Johnson, aged only 21, who wants to represent Pickering, and Margaret Taylor, of Norton, the oldest candidate at 73.

Accompanied by aides including former Olympic athlete and MP Sebastian Coe, Mr Hague then met Tim Tate-Smith and son Paul Tate-Smith, of Sundella soft drinks, to see for himself one of Norton's worst-hit businesses. Mr Hague has personal experience of the industry as his family once ran a soft drinks business in Rotherham.

Said Mr Hague: "We are interested in real local concerns. John Greenway's reaction to the flood wasn't a knee-jerk response, it's a real concern, and we've got to learn for the future."

Mayor of Malton, David Lloyd-Williams, said: "It is essential that a lesson is learnt from every disaster and we need a high-quality investigation."

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