UK floods: Cones and pumps moved on Malton County Bridge

People moved pumping equipment and traffic cones on County Bridge in Malton to get past a road closure

People have moved a number of traffic cones and pump equipment to get past a road closure in a flood-hit town.

Pipes were among the items moved to allow people to cross County Bridge in Malton, North Yorkshire, on Saturday.

Ryedale District Council said revisiting equipment was putting additional pressure on efforts to protect homes.

Teams are currently working round-the-clock in the Malton area to manage the impact of flood water.

The bridge was closed as the River Derwent reached record levels in the town last week after Storm Christoph hit the UK.

'Challenging time'

Although the "stable but fragile" situation was improving, council leader Keane Duncan said, the County Bridge remained closed for safety reasons while teams worked to pump water away in order to protect nearby properties.

He said people interfering with equipment "doesn't appear to have had any serious consequences, but it could have been a different story".

"Response crews are working incredibly hard on the ground right now, and having to revisit sites to check the positioning of pipes, or put road closure cones back in place, just adds to the pressure."

"I am urging all members of the public to keep helping us at this challenging time."

The River Derwent at County Bridge in Malton has almost reached levels from 1999 when the town was hit by widespread flooding

An Environment Agency spokesperson added: "Water levels of the River Derwent are slowly reducing, but ground water levels will remain high for some time, so the pumping operation will remain in place for as long as required.

"It's incredibly important that people continue to adhere to road closures and steer clear of the pumps and pipes so that we can continue to reduce local flood risk."

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