THE highly regarded local historian Keith Snowden's chronicles make no mention of the River Derwent's flooding in the past until after the weir and lock were built just downstream from Kirkham Priory and some 325 years ago.

This was an engineering achievement, which made the Derwent navigable to boats and barges from the North and East Riding to Hull and Leeds etc, and helped to boost the Industrial Revolution and the prosperity of these areas.

Presumably the damming of the Derwent at Kirkham Priory had the slow but long-term effect of depositing accumulations of sand, silt and natural and unnatural jetsam, thus gradually filling up the deeper parts of the river bed.

The first unprecedentedly serious flooding of the river was reportedly in 1867 and subsequently disastrous flooding occurred in 1931, 1947, 1999 and 2001. There appears to be an ominously increasing frequency in severe flooding which is possibly a consequence of there being increasingly less room in the Derwent River bed for river water!

I have repeatedly urged that the department of the environment remove or reduce unnatural constraints on the river's flow in general, and particularly at Kirkham Priory, thus enabling the river to at least partially dredge itself and also to clear the way for flood water to be initially accommodated and then drained downstream more rapidly than in the post-weir years. This could be achieved simply and economically and it would be a substantial complement to the unnatural constraints now beginning to be installed upstream in Old Malton, Malton and Norton.

My proposal was dismissed because it might see the foundations of Kirkham's historic stone bridge adversely affected. Masons could strengthen that stonework at a substantially lesser cost than that of major floods in two successive years. There could be worse to come.

As I write I look down on the Derwent as it flows past York Road and today, February 26, it is again beginning to flood my modest length of riverbank for the fourth year in succession. The river bed has been virtually full of water all this year so that any heavy rain now alarms at least flood-plain residents.

I again appeal for my proposal to be reconsidered. At least opening the Kirkham sluice gates to lower the water level would provide an increased degree of river capacity but the only definitive additional measure will be to remove the current commercial anachronism of the Kirkham weir.

JEFFREY FARLAM

Malton

Updated: 11:27 Thursday, March 14, 2002