Sheffield river maintenance works to reduce flood risk

Work is now underway to help reduce the risk of flooding in Sheffield.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Carried out by the Environment Agency, these works are taking place in the River Loxley at Malinbridge and Hillsborough, and on the River Don at Norfolk Bridge.

During high river flows it is important to ensure that bridges and the nearby channel don’t restrict the flow of water. To ensure this, gravel, brick and stone deposits will be reduced from areas where it has built up underneath bridge arches and in the adjacent river.

Read More
Staff sickness hit record high during lockdown at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals
The works area at Norfolk BridgeThe works area at Norfolk Bridge
The works area at Norfolk Bridge
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Overhanging vegetation and trees around bridges will also be removed to ensure the flow of water in the river is not restricted and debris is less likely to get caught.

This project is part of the £32 million programme of recovery works across Yorkshire to repair defences damaged by the flood event last February. Since November officers have inspected over 3,000 flood defence assets along the Rivers Don, Rother and Aire, carried out urgent repairs, and continued work to improve flood defences.

To plan these works, the project team has worked with flood risk, geomorphology and fisheries specialists from the Environment Agency to minimise the impact the reduction of the deposits may have on fish and wildlife in the area. Carrying out the work in September also avoids fish spawning periods and the bird nesting season.

Lianne Grogan from the Environment Agency, said: “We’ve worked closely with teams to consider flood risk, fish and wildlife, and this approach ensures the works balance the need to improve the flow of water through the river during a flood, whilst also retaining channel gravels for aquatic species and vegetation cover for fish.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We can’t entirely prevent flooding from rivers and streams, but we can reduce the likelihood of flooding by ensuring that rivers, becks and streams are free from excess debris and vegetation that might block the watercourse so that in high rain events water remains in the channel.”

Works are planned to start from today, September 7, and are expected to take around a week at each location depending on weather conditions. Contractors AmcoGiffen are carrying ot the work.

FROM THE EDITOR: Thank you to all who support local journalism with a digital or print subscription to The Star. The events of 2020 mean trusted, local journalism is more reliant than ever on your support. We couldn't do it without you. Subscribe here www.thestar.co.uk/subscriptions so we can keep campaigning on your behalf. Stay safe.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.