A SCHEME which will see thousands of trees planted in Craven to help prevent flooding as far away as Leeds has been started.

The first tree of 450 at the pilot site at Eshton Beck, Gargrave, has been planted by leader of Leeds City Council leader Judith Blake.

Pendle councillor David Whipp was among those marking the start of the scheme, which aims to see how natural techniques can slow the flow of water and reduce the risk of flooding downstream.

The Kirkstall area of Leeds was hit by severe floods on Boxing Day 2015, which saw up to four feet of water in dozens of shops and businesses after the River Aire burst it banks.

And the £500,000 initial programme will also be used by the Environment Agency and Leeds City Council to develop an approach to working with landowners, tenants, local authorities and bodies such as the Aire Rivers Trust and the White Rose Forest.

It is intended that the scheme will also create habitat for wildlife and help regenerate rural and urban areas through tourism.

Cllr Blake said: “These new trees are a hugely significant part of our plans to protect Leeds from future flooding like the devastation we saw on Boxing Day 2015.

"It’s great to be working with partner authorities along the River Aire to get the first of the trees planted. They are part of what will be a range of natural flood management measures in a catchment wide approach to prevent future catastrophic floods affecting communities along the river.”

Phase two plans will focus on natural flood management, with proposals to create new woodland areas which would more than double 'canopy coverage' in the River Aire catchment area.

It is also proposed to develop water storage areas operated by a control gates system so that water can be held and then released back into the river when safe to do so. A third element would be the removal of existing obstructions along the river to help reduce water levels, along with lowering the riverbed in places to improve its capacity and flow.

The flood management pilot forms part of the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme, put together by Leeds City Council and the Environment Agency.