Environment Agency contractors are drilling boreholes along the river using specialist equipment so that the project team can understand the composition of the ground where new flood defence walls are being proposed. This will ensure that the defences that are constructed are to the right standard.

Work is also being done to strengthen and improve the current defences at four locations to help prevent localised early ‘overtopping' of water over the flood banks during a flood. Although this work would not prevent defences being overwhelmed during a large scale flooding event like that seen earlier this year, it will improve the resilience of the defences in these locations ahead of the delivery of the wider flood scheme for the town.

Paul Stockhill, area flood risk manager at the Environment Agency said: "This is an important step so we can gain detailed evidence to support the design of flood defences to better protect Tadcaster from flooding.

"The town has experienced devastating floods as recently as February this year, and we are working as fast as we can to develop a scheme which offers the best possible level of flood protection for people and is able to withstand the increasingly extreme weather we are experiencing as a result of climate change.

"Our next step will be to use the information gathered to form some detailed designs which we'll share with the community."