Work starts on £56m Sheffield flood defence programme

A damaged culvert on Mosborough High Street will be replaced with a new pipeline after residents suffered regular flooding

The first stage of work on Sheffield's £56m flood defence scheme has begun.

Sheffield City Council said replacing a damaged culvert in Mosborough was "a very important step forward" in protecting the city from flooding.

Sheffield was hit by severe floods in the summer of 2007 and the council said the work aimed to minimise future impact.

There are six schemes in the city-wide programme, ranging in cost from £2m to £19m.

They are:

• A £19m project in the Lower Don Valley, for which preparatory work is under way after funding was secured

• A £12.4m flood alleviation scheme for the River Sheaf and Porter Brook

• An £11.9m flood alleviation scheme in the Upper Don, including the rivers Loxley and Little Don

• An £8.2m culvert renewal programme on watercourses across the city, including the £75,000 Mosborough work

• A £2.6m environmental scheme to manage flooding and surface water from planned developments on the Manor and Arbourthorne estates

• A £2m flood alleviation scheme on the upper Blackburn Brook, which would benefit homes and businesses in Chapeltown and Ecclesfield.

Councillor Terry Fox said around 6,000 households and 2,000 businesses in Sheffield are at risk of flooding over the next 50 years due to climate change

'Important step forward'

Councillor Terry Fox said: "I am very pleased to see work to replace this culvert is under way and hope the works will provide some peace of mind for local residents and businesses.

"This is a very important step forward for Sheffield's flood alleviation programme as a whole.

"As we saw in 2007, flooding devastates communities and can ruin homes and businesses.

"[The council] is absolutely determined to do all it can to ensure that flooding on this scale never happens again in our city."

As well as the £19m secured for the Lower Don Valley project, the council said a further £23m funding had been registered on the Government's national programme and is pending full approval. Additional funding is set to come from partner investors.

The works are expected to be finished by 2021.