ALMOST exactly five years on from its first test, Slowing the Flow (STF) in Pickering has once more proved its efficacy and value for money. A couple of months with frequent pulses of heavy rain have left catchments across the whole North York Moors fully saturated, causing rainfall to run off rapidly into watercourses with virtually no infiltration. Against this backdrop, two days of persistent steady rain from Storm Cristoph on 19-20 January caused all the rivers to rise quickly to near record levels. The Natural Flood Management (NFM) and beaver dams in the upper catchment quietly did their job of slowing the flow by temporarily storing water and evening out the flows.
Flood warnings and alerts were issued overnight and remain in place today (Tuesday, January 12) for parts of the North-East and North Yorkshire FLOOD warnings have been issued for parts of the region due to rising river levels caused by rainfall and melting snow. The Environment Agency issued a series of flood alerts last night and some warnings have already been activated, mostly around Teesside and North Yorkshire. Showers overnight and this morning have seen flood warnings put in place at various locations on the Rivers Esk, Seven, Derwent and Ouse. The areas of concern included properties in Lealholm, adjacent to the River Esk, and people were urged to avoid using low lying footpaths and roads near local watercourses, from Briggswath to Ruswarp.