"More need to be done to protect Boroughbridge from floods" says business owner
Canal Garage on Milby Road had to close for two days after flood waters seeped into the building
Last updated 22nd Jan 2021
A Boroughbridge business owner is calling for more support to protect the town from flooding.
The persistent rain from Storm Christoph saw the River Ure rise to nearly 15m, with some businesses being forced to close after flood waters started to seep into properties.
Canal Garage by the Milby Cut Canal was one of those businesses. In the last twelve months they've flooded four times.
Malcolm Angus owns Canal Garage, he said:
"We were lucky this time. The water didn't come up as far as we thought it was going to come up. But with the water main out the front of the garage and the canal being so high, it was just inevitable for the water to come into the garage.
"This happened to us four times last year. I keep contacting the Environment Agency and they haven't done anything to fix it. It's so frustrating.
"40 years ago the canal would get dredged quite often. I've been here since the 1990s and I've not seen it being dredged once. They say it won't make any difference but I'm sure it will. It's just nonsense.
Mr Angus and his workers spent most of yesterday mopping up the residue left behind.
He said he feels sorry for the homeowners over the other side of the canal.
He added: "We've got a concrete floor so all we have to do is mop up. But the homeowners over the other side have to rip up flooring and fix electrics when they flood. They don't deserve that."
"It was predicted to be as high as 14.77m but it ended up being 14.94m. That's a big difference in terms of the action and prevention measures you need to take. It just happens every time.
"It takes at least 24 hours for the water to subside. So you've lost the working hours when the water was coming in, then the time for it to go, and then we had to stay closed to clean everything up so we've not been in a position to trade for the last two days."