AS river levels on the Tyne reached some of the highest recorded since the great flood of 1771, no one could imagine the utter devastation Storm Desmond would leave in its wake.

But almost a year on from the flooding which caused widespread damage in communities along the Tyne Valley, work is still continuing to pick up the pieces.

The worst flooding event in living memory left Northumberland County Council facing a £24m repair bill and infrastructure repairs are ongoing.

Across the county a total of 214 homes and 94 businesses were flooded. Meanwhile, 30 bridges and 98 roads were damaged and the power of Mother Nature caused 17 landslips.

Tynedale felt the full force of the impact and residents rallied to support their neighbours as the clean-up operation got under way.

To help with infrastructure repairs, £14.6m in Government funding was earmarked for the county, helping to complete 31 out of 85 schemes to date.

Coun. Ian Swithenbank, cabinet member for local services, said: “I think the fact we still have more than 50 engineering schemes still outstanding shows the scale of the damage caused last winter and we have had to prioritise a number of projects.

“However, we realise that all schemes are important to local communities and I would like to thank all staff, both from the council and partner organisations, who have worked tirelessly to get the county back on its feet.”

Bridges at Ovingham and Whitfield are among the major projects in Tynedale to have been completed.

Road repairs and bank stabilisation work on the A695 at Widehaugh in Hexham and reconstruction of a new section of road along the river at Bywell, near Stocksfield have also been completed following major landslips in both locations.

The introduction of a new surface water drainage system in Corbridge got under way this week while the council says 7,500 gullies have been cleaned and 200 tonnes of silt removed from the west of the county alone.

Flooded resident and businesses have claimed an estimated £638,000 in financial support and the council says a detailed investigation into the catastrophic flooding event is due to be published on its website, in line with the authority’s statutory responsibilities.

Coun. Swithenbank added: “What many people don’t see, but is equally important, is all the work that has gone on behind the scenes to secure funding for affected communities, both private residents and businesses, to allow their properties to be better protected against future flooding.”