FEARS: Pickering flooding victim Topsy Clinch, 90, who led the campaigners to the capital

CAMPAIGNERS who travelled from a North Yorkshire town to London to present a 4,500-strong petition calling for flood defences to be provided have been given a "brush-off", a group representing them claimed today.

Pickering Flood Defence Group (PFDG), which went to Defra headquarters in London to hand the petition to Floods Minister Phil Woolas, said its campaigners had left the capital optimistic that he would bring relief to the town which has been flooded six times in nine years.

But a spokesman for PFDG said: "all the campaigners have been given is a brush-off. A letter from Mr Woolas accompanied by a briefing note from the Environment Agency offers no hope of ending the misery of flood victims."

The group said 90-year-old flood victim Topsy Clinch, who lead the campaigners to the capital, now fears she may be forced to leave the home she loves.

It said Topsy's cottage was among 100 homes and businesses flooded just under a year ago leaving a £5 million trail of damage in the town.

Topsy said: "I don't want to move, but without defence being provided to protect us we will be flooded again and again."

PFDG said the town had been left to sink despite £750,000 being spent five years ago by the Environment Agency (EA) on drawing up a viable scheme of defences.

PFDG chairman Gordon Clitheroe said the £6.7 million scheme of defences for Pickering was desperately needed.

The PFDG spokesman said: "The group has replied to the letter with a detailed list questioning the whole basis for the failure of the Government and the Environment Agency to act." A Defra spokesperson said: "Floods Minister Phil Woolas received the correspondence from the Pickering Flood Defence Group, and has recently replied in detail. They should receive his response shortly. They are of course welcome to continue writing to the minister, who has taken a personal and sustained interest in this matter."

Mark Tinnion, regional flood risk manager for the EA, said: "We completely understand the concerns of those Pickering residents who have suffered flooding on a number of occasions in recent years. However, we are spending taxpayers' money and so we must ensure that the public funding that everyone in the country contributes to is spent to maximum effect unfortunately when we appraise the benefits of this scheme and compare it against hundreds of others across the country, we simply cannot justify spending public money at Pickering."

7:57pm Wednesday 30th April 2008