South Yorkshire to get £14m flood defences

Hundreds of homes and businesses were flooded in South Yorkshire in 2007

Construction will begin this year on £14m of flood defences in South Yorkshire, the government has said.

In Rotherham and Barnsley, 194 homes will be protected, while the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said a £11.4m project in Sheffield would create 2,700 jobs.

Hundreds of properties were damaged when the River Don flooded in 2007.

Most of the money will come from the government, with businesses and councils providing the rest.

The Environment Agency said the Sheffield Lower Don Valley Flood Protection Project would involve repairs to existing defences, as well as "raising walls and reinforcing existing structures along a stretch of the River don between Nursery Street in Sheffield and Blackburn Brook near the M1".

Sheffield City Council said it would be speaking to businesses to raise the £1.9m needed in addition to funding from the government.

Councillor Jack Scott said: "What we hope it will do is almost to flood-proof the Lower Don Valley so, barring a one in 200-year event like we had in 2007, when really there were no flood defences that could have stopped some of the impact of that, it will help us to make sure that whole part of Sheffield leading into Rotherham is protected."

Work will also begin in the next year on flood defences at Anston Brook in Rotherham and Brook Dike in Wath upon Dearne, as well as two flood storage schemes in Darfield, Barnsley.