A MAJOR £9.7m flood defence scheme for Egremont has been given the green light by Copeland councillors.

The scheme will protect 220 homes and businesses in the Orgill area, reducing the flood risk from 20 per cent to one per cent chance in any one year.

The work will see the creation of three new flood storage areas which will be able to contain enough flood water to fill 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Whangs Beck and Skirting Beck flow through the town but there are no formal defences in place despite a long history of flooding.

The area was inundated in 1999, 2009, 2012 and 2013, prompting the Environment Agency to recognise the “urgent need” for improved protection.

The Howbank storage area will involve building of a flood embankment and concrete retaining walls, storing up to 10,000 cubic metres of water.

The Whangs Beck storage area north of the Orgill housing estate will include an upper storage area containing up to 6,000 cubic metres and a lower that can store up to 4,500 cubic metres.

The Falcon Club and West Lakes Academy storage area will be near several pitches which are waterlogged and unavailable in wet weather.

The building of new walls and embankments will create a tank able to hold up to 30,000 cubic metres of flood water.

However, there will be a “substantial loss” of playing fields at the Falcon Club and West Lakes Academy while the work is carried out.

Planning chiefs have stressed that replacement facilities will be needed as well as temporary alternative facilities.

The three public footpaths that cross the site will all need to be closed while the construction work is carried out.

The work will also see the re-grading of pitches at the site as well as the creation of new ones.

Part of the Skirting Beck will be diverted, with a concrete road and pedestrian bridge built over the new channel.

The temporary workers compound for storage, parking and welfare buildings will be on the former site of Orgill Primary School.

Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey confirmed last year that 13 flood schemes county-wide would benefit from £40 million worth of funding.