A proposal to go ahead with additional work on the Dalton Bridge and Highway Flood Alleviation Scheme will be considered next week. (7 July)

The proposed project, which will be jointly funded by Hambleton District Council and North Yorkshire County Council, aims to deal with some contributory causes of flooding that were not apparent when the original improvement scheme was implemented.   The unprecedented flooding caused by back to back storms in February this year showed that further works were needed to ensure the scheme performs as intended.

Following the flooding it was agreed that North Yorkshire County Council would undertake an extensive investigation to identify why the road flooded and to recommend the necessary action to prevent this happening again.

This work has now been completed and the recommendation put forward is to raise part of Dalton Lane which will solve the issues which the investigation identified led to the flooding.

The cost of this work is estimated to be £250 - £300,000.

Councillor Mark Robson, Leader of Hambleton District Council, said: “The storms we were hit with back in February were relentless and unprecedented. As a district and indeed a region, the damage was devastating, with many roads, buildings and businesses damaged and much of our community affected. Dalton Bridge and the surrounding area were no exception to this, and much work has been ongoing since to identify how we can prevent this happening in the future.

“I welcome the comprehensive investigation report along with the solid recommendations which will safeguard us against a weather event like this in the future.”

County Councillor Don Mackenzie, Executive Member for Access, said: “The persistent, heavy rainfall in February led to some flooding of the road leading to the new Dalton Industrial Estate bridge whilst the bridge itself performed very well. As a result of extensive investigations carried out by our highways engineers raising the height of a short section of the access road has been identified as the most effective remedy to guard against future flooding events.”

The budget and recommendations for improvement will be discussed with approval sought from Hambleton District Council on 7 July.