The last time the river came over the banks, it was November. The time before that, February. Before that, January of the previous year, and the winter before that. The residents of this small Yorkshire market town have stopped being surprised by the water. What surprises them now is that the conversation about what to do about it seems to go in circles.
Tom Ellery has been reporting on flooding in England for four years. He has returned to this particular community three times, watching the cycle of inundation, cleanup, repair and waiting play out with a regularity that residents describe as exhausting.
The worst event in recent memory came in January 2022, when the river rose to its highest level since records began. Sixty-three properties were flooded. Several businesses on the main street took on water for the second time in three years. The local community centre, which had been refurbished after the 2019 flood, was damaged again.
The Environment Agency installed temporary barriers after 2022. They helped during the February 2024 event — the water reached the barriers but didn't come over. In November 2025, it did.
Climate scientists are clear that events like this will become more frequent as average temperatures rise and rainfall patterns shift. The specific mechanisms are well understood: warmer air holds more moisture, weather systems move more slowly, and the upland catchments that feed rivers like this one are less able to absorb rainfall as land use changes.
What the science cannot tell the residents of this town is when the permanent flood defence scheme that has been in the planning system for six years will actually be built. The scheme has outline approval. It has a budget. What it doesn't have, as of this writing, is a start date.
The psychological toll of repeated flooding is something that doesn't always make it into the official assessments. One resident, who has lived in the same house for 22 years, described the anxiety that builds every time heavy rain is forecast. "You can't sleep. You're checking the river gauge on your phone at two in the morning." Her insurance premium, after the third claim, has become unaffordable. She is considering selling, though she knows the flood history will affect the price.