North Yorkshire villages set for flood alleviation schemes

Yorkshire Water has begun projects in the North Yorkshire villages of Carlton Miniott and Easingwold to alleviate historic localised flooding. 

In Carlton Minniott, a scheme over £4.5m will see a new underground storage tank installed off Carlton Road, which will reduce pressure on the combined sewer system during periods of heavy rainfall, which has previously led to external flooding. The tank will hold up to 450,000 litres of rainwater. 
 
Combined sewer networks carry both rainwater and wastewater, which means capacity can be impacted by heavy rainfall events.  

Sarah Albone, project manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “Carlton Miniott has a history of flooding, and this investment is designed to reduce the chances of it happening again in the future. It’s a long-term project, but we’ll be working as quickly as we can so that residents can start to feel the benefit of the work as soon as possible.” 

Contract partners Peter Duffy Limited are expected to complete the project in spring 2027. 

This work follows a £450k investment to reduce flooding in Carlton Miniott at the end of 2024. Over a six-week period, new sewers were built to separate wastewater flows, creating extra capacity in the combined system, as well as a new manhole at the Vicarage wastewater pumping station.  

Investigations into the wider network were also completed, including CCTV inspections of existing sewers and surveys of manholes and impermeable surfaces. Surveys identified an underground storage tank as a possible additional measure to prevent flooding.  

In Easingwold, contract partners Mott MacDonald Bentley will be adding 44m3 underground storage on Back Lane in a £745,000 scheme, to reduce the risk of the surface water sewer overloading and flooding during periods of heavy rain. Existing manholes and a detention tank on Back Lane will also be upgraded with new flow controls to help the system better handle rainwater. 

For both projects, residents have been contacted with information of localised disruption. In Easingwold, where the project is due to finish in November 2026, works will be suspended to accommodate the Tour of Britain in early September. 
 
Mitchell Dunkley, project manager at Yorkshire Water, for the Easingwold project, said: “We’re going to do our best to keep disruption to a minimum whilst we complete this important project, and thank everyone for their patience and understanding in advance.”