FURTHER action was assured last week towards flood relief in North Tawton where some residents faced double doses of damage and chaos during last year's Christmas period.

Members of West Devon's influential policy committee agreed to earmark £20,000 capital funding to enable a study to go ahead — and another £15,000 to further the Environment Agency's River Taw flood alleviation scheme.

Roger Collins, the borough's project officer, said: 'We are going to employ a consultant to do a complete study of North Tawton, to pick up all the things that affect everybody.

'The study will hopefully leave us with knowledge of what's going on and enough detail to have a proper paper solution.'

Mr Collins said technical information provided by the study would be invaluable in improving response to possible flood conditions by the borough and individual householders, instead of 'tinkering' without full knowledge and possibly making the situation worse.

Despite the hefty price tag, Mr Collins said the consultants' study would be very important when tackling flooding in the long-term.

'It does seem astronomical, even to me,' he admitted.

'The studies we have done so far have high-lighted trigger-points in the system.

'What they haven't told us is what is the capacity of the system, what is its condition, the geology etc,' he said.

The study will be used as additional evidence in trying to bring forward the Environment Agency's River Taw flood alleviation scheme.

In the short-term, Mr Collins said the borough's emergency responses are being improved and 'a number of ideas' were being investigated to alleviate problems.

'In November we will do a complete survey of all the known trigger-points in the borough to make sure they are in proper condition,' he added.

Mr Collins said the Environment Agency would also be using a new warning system in flood situations this winter.

Cllr Nick Morgan, ward member for North Tawton, said: 'It's a slight step forward in the fact that this study should actually say "This is what should be done in the short-term and long-term".

'This is my one concern — we are now mid-July; by the time the study is done and agreed, you are talking about October at the earliest and once again, it's another year gone.'

Cllr Morgan said he felt 'desperately sorry' for people affected so badly by last winter's floods.

'When you saw the skips outside in the New Year, skip after skip of household furniture, you just couldn't say anything, and you knew that if anything happened even then, they were going to have to put up with the same problem,' he said.

John Burnett, West Devon and Torridge MP, has met those affected by the Christmas floods.

He said: 'I am really pleased West Devon Borough Council is to commission this study.

'What I am concerned about is the Environment Agency — I am in contact with them and I am meeting with them shortly at North Tawton, because I am anxious they live up to their side in getting this sorted.'

Dave McCalla at the White Hart Inn endured two floods last year.

He said: 'They are trying their best from what we have been told. As far as we are concerned, the sooner the problems can be solved, the better — we would definitely welcome it.'