THE lifting of an historic stone gatepost from a beck running through the centre of Skipton will mark the start of a flood alleviation scheme.

Work on the £13 million project began last year on the outskirts of Skipton, but will move to four town centre sites early next month.

And it will include the removal of a stone post – believed to be 500 years old – from Waller Hill Beck, near Ginnel Mews, where a new footbridge will be built.

The stone gatepost is due to be removed tomorrow morning and preserved as a heritage asset.

The Environment Agency scheme will involve raising of the existing flood wall on the east of Eller Beck where it skirts B&M Stores car park in Broughton Road. It is hoped to complete this by May.

Work will then move onto the building of a new flood wall on the west of Eller Beck, next to Morrison supermarket car park, which should be finished in July.

February will also see work getting underway at Ginnel Mews, behind Newmarket Street, where an old wall be replaced and the new footbridge built. The work, due to take three months, has been planned for the winter because it will require the closure of the children's playground at Ginnel Mews.

At nearby Devonshire Place, construction of a new wall behind residential and business properties on one side of Waller Hill Beck will start in April and is due to be completed by the end of June.

The new walls at Devonshire Place and Brookside will be clad in matching stone to blend in with other buildings in the conservation area.

The last town centre scheme involves minor improvement works near Spindle Mill, which are planned for completion in March.

Jenny Cooke, project manager at the Environment Agency, said start of work in the town centre was a significant step towards reducing the risk of flooding.

"While there will inevitably be some local disruption during the period it will take to complete all these works, we will be doing everything we can to minimise it," she added.

“Environmental surveys will be carried out before any works take place and any trees that need to be removed will be dealt with before the bird nesting season. Some footpaths will be temporarily closed and notices will be displayed prior to the start of works, along with details of alternative routes.”

The Skipton Flood Alleviation Scheme will reduce the risk of flooding from Eller Beck and Waller Hill Beck, which often swell very quickly after heavy rain.

Two flood storage areas upstream of Skipton are being built to slow the flow of water from surrounding hills, reducing the risk of the watercourses overtopping in the town centre. Work on the first of these – at Eller Beck near Skipton Golf Club – is well advanced, and construction of a second dam across Waller Hill Beck is also underway. It is hoped both of these will be completed by early next year.