About 50 residents from the retirement community at Hartrigg Oaks in New Earswick recently met with York Outer Labour MP Luke Charters to protest about what they say is Yorkshire Water’s lack of action on supplying a new pump to control the water level in the nearby Westfield Beck.
Mr Charters says he has now written to Yorkshire Water and the company say they will be replying to the letter and that they plan to carry out works at the site.
One resident, who didn’t want to be named, said that many letters had been sent to Yorkshire Water in the past but with no result.
“We pay our Yorkshire Water bills dutifully, but we can’t even get a response to our queries, nevermind get a new pump that they themselves say needs replacing. Perhaps they are waiting for a major incident before they do anything,” they said.
It is part of a campaign calling on Yorkshire Water to take action and reintroduce a pump at Westfied Beck, which Mr Charters says Yorkshire Water’s own engineers have deemed to have failed, causing flooding.
“Three years ago Yorkshire Water decided that the Hartrigg Oaks pump on Westfield Beck was not functioning as it should, and that it needed to be replaced. They also said that the backup pump was obsolete and removed it from the site,” said the resident.
“Three years on and there is no new pump, and the backup is still absent.”
The pump is designed to control the water levels in the beck so that water does not flow onto the surrounding land where the residents’ houses have been built. It should also control any excess so that further down in New Earswick there is not a sudden increase in flow.
Mr Charters said: “The strength of feeling from Hartrigg Oaks residents was made loud and clear last week. Despite their best attempts, they’ve been ignored and let down.
“This community should not have to worry about the risk of flooding every time it rains and the pump must be fixed so they can have peace of mind, once again.
“I’ve written to the CEO of Yorkshire Water to request that action be taken to protect this vulnerable community.”
A Yorkshire Water spokesperson said: “While we carry out regular maintenance on the pumping station next to Westfield Beck to ensure the pumps are working to alleviate flood risk to nearby properties, which they continue to do, the pumping station is not part of the public sewer network.
“From time-to-time breakdowns can occur and we work hard to resolve these issues as soon as possible to prevent impact on customers nearby.
“One of the two pumps was removed from site to be refurbished and will be reinstalled as soon as possible.”
