Floodwater covered a car park in Corbridge, Northumberland

Machines are already in place in Corbridge to reinforce a one-kilometre-stretch of existing flood banks.

Homes in Corbridge and Haydon Bridge were flooded in heavy rain in the Tyne Valley earlier this month caused by a month's average rain falling in a day.

The 20,000 tonnes of clay will replace the existing sandy soil during work which could last up to four months.

Flood misery

The current flood banks in Corbridge were built in the early 1950s of local silty, sandy soil which is not as strong as the materials used in modern flood alleviation work.

Under the new scheme, the bank width will be widened, low spots filled and a wetland area will be created.

Drop-in sessions have been held in the two villages where Environment Agency officers have listened to people's views about the floods.

The Agency's area flood defence manager Ian Hodge said: "A flood is a natural event which we cannot prevent but we are confident that our reinforcement work will help ensure that the recent flooding misery remains an exception."