LOCAL councils across the North West will have to find £2,637,000 to pay for flood defence work in the region.

The money will be spent on improving and maintaining flood defences to reduce the risk of flooding to home and businesses in the region.

Nearly £34 million will be spent on the North West's flood defences in 2004-2005.

Most of this money will be provided by the Government, but the local levy of more than £2.5m will ensure that all the necessary works are carried out.

The levy, funded from the Council Tax, will come from all the local authorities in the region.

The levy rate was set at a meeting of the North West Regional Flood Defence Committee in Warrington yesterday. The committee meets four times each year and advises the Agency on flood defence issues.

Its members include representatives of local authorities as well as Defra (Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs).

Work at Pendle Water at Barrowford is among that earmarked to take place this year.

The Environment Agency's flood warning service, which warns households and businesses in higher-risk areas when flooding is possible or expected, will also benefit.

Jeff Lawrenson, the Agency's regional flood defence manager, said after the meeting: "The Committee's agreement to raise a levy is excellent news.

"More than 105,000 properties are at possible risk of flooding in the North West, and the money provided will enable the Agency to make sure that flood risk is reduced wherever possible.

"Even where flood risk cannot be reduced by carrying out flood defence work, the money will help us manage the risk more effectively - for example, through improvements to the reliability and coverage of our flood warning scheme."