by Simon Thackray.

In loving memory of Alan Tomlinson: (7 November 1947–13 February 2024)

The views expressed in this website are my own. They do not represent the views of Malton Town Council (of which I am an elected member) or any other public body, organisation, or individual.

The evidence of neglect, lack of investment, and obfuscation, can be found, beautifully preserved, and bound, in the records of North Yorkshire County Council (now NYC), the lead local flood authority. No other public body has done more to shield and protect Yorkshire Water from attack and ensure that the residents of Malton and Norton live in fear of sewer flooding and filth. At a public meeting in Norton recently, people spoke of suffering from PTSD as a result of the repeat of flooding of their homes and gardens. Just the sound of rain triggers anxiety.

The Malton, Norton and Old Malton Pumping Plan is an operational plan that sets out the actions of the Multi Agency Partnership of Yorkshire Water, North Yorkshire Council, and the Environment Agency, in response to the regular flooding events in the towns of Malton and Norton, and the village of Old Malton, in North Yorkshire. The Partnership receives additional practical support from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue and North Yorkshire Police.

The ‘plan’ on this website is a ‘draft’ plan from 2015 which includes information about pump numbers and size, and maps of pump deployment locations. The Pumping Plan is, as the title suggests, dependent on the deployment and operation of temporary flood pumps. It is an ‘operational plan’ of North Yorkshire Council, which was “formerly led by Ryedale District Council, which leads [led] the work of the responsible organisations including Malton and Norton Town Councils” (Source: NYCC, 26 January 2018).

NB: Malton Town Council requested copies of the latest pumping plan from North Yorkshire Council on 25 January 2024 and the request was refused. NYC refuses to share the current ‘operational plan’ with elected members of Malton and Norton on Derwent Town Councils, due to “the fluid nature of its application together with the risks associated with details of equipment deployment locations and potential tampering.”

NYC states (in the 2015 daft), that “the Plan directs the deployment of temporary pumps in the ownership of a variety of authorities to attempt to over-pump surface water into the river Derwent from the highway and other critical areas”. Note the deliberate use of the words “over-pump surface water into the river Derwent” rather than say what they are actually doing, which is pumping untreated sewage from combined sewers into the river Derwent.

Not everything on this site is depressing, and there is hope! Hope that the new Chief Executive Officer of Yorkshire Water, Ms Nicola Shaw CBE, will take a leading role in this comedy of errors and help resolve the issues and restore our faith in at least one private UK Water Company.

Malton and Norton Pumping Plan – April 2015