FLOOD-HIT families have seen their homes saved by fire crews for the second time in four weeks.
Residents in Willow Grove, Beverley, are waiting for the construction of a retaining wall – due to start in January – that will stop flood water entering their homes.
That is exactly what would have happened if one resident, Les Diment, had not called the emergency services shortly after 2am yesterday.
Water was pouring down off the Westwood and approaching the height at which it would breach the existing wall and enter people's homes.
Just as they did on November 25, fire crews spent yesterday pumping water away from Willow Grove.
Both times residents have feared a repeat of the 2007 floods when many homes were filled with water and damage ran to many thousands of pounds.
• Updates: Flood and weather warnings for Saturday, December 22
Mr Diment said: "I have been taking measurements of the water and it was pretty steady until about 11pm on Thursday. I got up at 2am and took another measurement, the level had jumped by 14cm. I called 999 and asked for the fire service.
"I was talking to someone with knowledge and, within 10 minutes, they were here doing an assessment."
The second successive call-out to Willow Grove comes since the installation by Yorkshire Water of a £1m tank that can be used when the sewerage system cannot cope.
The company says the tank is not for collecting flood water and does not alleviate that problem.
But residents say it has slowed the rate at which water drains away from the Westwood.
They are keen to see the East Riding Council retaining wall built.
Mr Diment said: "Currently we're in the worst possible situation. The first part of the project, the tank, has reduced the outflow by design and we don't have the second part, the wall, built yet."
The spectre of homes being flooded again raised the issue of whether people in affected areas can get insurance.
Haltemprice and Howden MP David Davis has said it is "absolutely vital" the Government ensures people continue to have flood insurance – irrespective of history.
He said: "If the Government creates planning laws that allow houses to be built on flood plains, which has been the case, then they have a moral responsibility to make sure they're insured and in the reach of normal people, not tens of thousands of pounds."
