RESIDENTS at risk from flooding in South Ulverston have been provided with a faint glimmer of hope by the Environment Agency.

South Lakeland District Council angered both residents and town councillors two weeks ago when it dropped its plans for drainage work in South Ulverston, pleading cash shortages as an excuse.

However, 20 local residents heard at a public meeting - called by town and district Councillor Bob Bolton - that the Environment Agency could now step in.

Dragley Beck has this month been re-classified as a "major river" - giving the Environment Agency responsibility for the beck and special powers to carry out river work without the need for land owners' consent.

Run-off from Ulverston town and the surrounding catchment converges on Dragley Beck before draining to the sea.

Problems arise when high water levels combine with a high tide causing water to back up down the beck.

Grazing land at Outcast farm has suffered the worst flooding.

Few properties have actually been awash with water, a situation down to "luck" according to Coun Bolton, who said tides were low when the beck threatened to burst.

"We don't want to wait for flooding before we do something about it.

It affects a lot of people," said Coun Bolton.

Residents provided Environment Agency officials Paul Swain and Steve Russell with photos, observations and even a computer presentation on the scale of the problem as they saw it.

The Environment Agency will now analyse the data and SLDC's own studies.

Mr Swain made it clear that more surveying work was probably needed to determine the most effective solution.

Residents were keen to see the £85,000 de-silting work that SLDC had begun was starting to at least "ease the problem."

However, SLDC technical officer Dominic Scott felt that de-silting would "have only a minimal impact on flood prevention.

"It's not solving the problem," he said.

Despite probing from angry residents, Mr Swain would not give any indication of how long the Agency might take to begin work on the river.

Residents were reassured that plans to construct 112 homes at Lund Hall would not go ahead unless the Environment Agency was completely satisfied that the development would not worsen the flooding situation.