Sir, – I was astonished to read the letter from Richard Collin on “Flood questions” at Gilling West (D&S, Oct 5. Since he challenges me by name for a public reply, here it is.

Throughout my county council district of 30 parishes there was a horror story. Many people suffered and helpers were overstretched and the A1 was closed for 40 miles in both directions for days. But back to Gilling West.

Richard Collin claims he rang the police and fire services and no help was available. I assume they were already out on call. He certainly did not ring me, and if I had been busy elsewhere he could have left a message. In fact nobody from Gilling West rang me until I heard from your reporter Joe Willis.

Gilling West certainly suffered and was a sorry sight. Local people claimed the flood in Water Lane had never been higher, and several homes in the immediate area were evacuated.

I carried out visits and inspections throughout the village, talked to many local residents, inspected the sheltered housing at Oswin Grove which had been evacuated, and have visited several private homes.

A crisis arose at the northern end of the village a night or two later, when a water main burst and the main county council drain had been blocked and could not cope. A local farmer was valiantly helping pumping for a long period.

A local resident, whose wife had called the fire brigade, rang me, and I became involved overall for six hours trying to obtain help and sort matters out, ringing County Hall “out of hours”, an emergency Floodline number, and then, at home, the council’s appropriate executive member, who rang the assistant director, who rang me for a detailed update, and then called out an area highways team of engineers.

The job was done, the drain was cleared, the fire service did its work with several crews from a good distance I understand, and the assistant director reported back to me at 10.30 pm that everything was going smoothly.

Since then I have had a two-hour meeting with the parish council, and with the county council’s flooding management officer who has agreed to come to the village to meet the parish council and me as soon as a date can be fixed.

Distressed as people have been, many have praised the efforts made on their behalf by public agencies and private individuals. No doubt lessons can be learnt, but ill-informed, indiscriminate and personalised blackguarding will achieve nothing.

Coun MICHAEL HESELTINE

Richmondshire North, North Yorkshire County Council