‘Worse than 2015 – and 2020, and 2021…’ Tadcaster Albion struck by another devastating flood

Tadcaster Albion has described the devastation of another flood at its ground – and expressed frustration at the lack of progress on flood defences for the town.

The football club has been repeatedly hit by floods, forcing it to fundraise to repair and renovate the stadium. As we reported in our live blog, yesterday the ground was again underwater.

“We discovered that the ground and car park were under over 1.5 metres of water as the River Wharfe burst its banks with such ferocity that it took down most of the steel fencing on the far side of the pitch effectively removing any barrier against the deluge,” the club said.

“Club staff have not been able to get closer to the stadium than 30 yards due to the height of the flooding but could see the damage to the perimeter and the temporary buildings within the ground.

“It is anticipated that the raised clubhouse will again have suffered water ingress up through the floorboards

“Initial reaction is that the devastation is ‘worse than 2015 with more damage than the five floods in 2020 and 2021’.”

Progress on the Tadcaster Flood Alleviation Scheme has been slow. It was initiated again after the 2015 floods.

Funding for the £10 million scheme has been allocated by the government and the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership.

In its last update on the scheme in November 2021, the Environment Agency said “our consultants have been assessing potential options to provide flood protection in Tadcaster”.

But updated modelling of the river and potential flood defences had produced “unexpected results which need to be addressed”.

“Although this unavoidable delay is not what any of us want at this stage we believe it will ensure we achieve the best final design to better protect Tadcaster and complement its historic and environmental surroundings,” the agency said.

Tadcaster Albion was unable to hide its frustration at the delays.

“With approved finances in place for the urgent Tadcaster Flood Alleviation Scheme following the devastation caused to the town generally in 2015, it is disappointing that we still await details from the Environment Agency of when this urgent and vital work is likely to happen,” the club said.