A TOWN is set to be handed around a £1million boost for its flood defences.

Flood campaigner Cllr David Whipp who represents the area on Pendle Council, said an application for £635,260 was approved by European Regional Development.

This comes as the town is set to receive match funding from the Environment Agency, a sum of £400,000, which is expected to be confirmed in the spring.

The money will help pay for water upstream storage and natural flood management.

Flash flooding has plagued the town for several years and dozens of homes and businesses were submerged in four feet of water following the 2015 Boxing Day floods.

Nine months later a violent thunderstorm and torrential rain caused a river to burst its bank.

People were led and carried out of their homes to safety at the height of the deluge and the town's bus station was also under feet of water.

Cllr Whipp said: “Following the flooding two years ago, at Pendle Council we applied for European Regional Development Funding to help pay for flood alleviation work.

"We've received a letter this week that the full application has now been approved for almost two thirds a million pounds

“I'd like to thank the engineering staff at Pendle Council who have worked hard to get this funding approved.

“Now this key funding is in place, it’s vital to get work carried out on the ground.

"The funding is to be used to implement some of the flood alleviation measures that'll be recommended from the EA study being carried out.

"Consultants doing the study are due to report soon."

“There’ll be a range of flood defence works recommended to be done to reduce the risk in Earby, such as upstream storage and natural flood management.

"This funding will help pay for this work.

“Meanwhile, Pendle Council is hoping to get the final nod of approval from the government to invest in the community flood resilience work which we expected to get on with last March.

“We're also still waiting for the EA to get on with work to repair Victoria Clough, which got outline funding approval two years ago.

"I’ll be pressing for this new money to be invested as soon as possible to reduce flood risk."