Tory minister in Sheffield visiting Don Valley flood defences

Government minister Oliver Letwin is in Sheffield today visiting flood defences in Don Valley.
The Wicker in Sheffield city centre following the floods of 2007.The Wicker in Sheffield city centre following the floods of 2007.
The Wicker in Sheffield city centre following the floods of 2007.

Mr Letwin, who is chair of the National Flood Resilience Review, is taking a look at flood defences that were completed in 2012 on Nursery Street.

Large swathes of the city were devastated by floods in 2007 which included The Wicker, Attercliffe, Meadowhall and Hillsborough.

Tory minister Oliver Letwin is in Sheffield today visiting flood defences. PIC: ROB LOCKTory minister Oliver Letwin is in Sheffield today visiting flood defences. PIC: ROB LOCK
Tory minister Oliver Letwin is in Sheffield today visiting flood defences. PIC: ROB LOCK
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The scheme was designed to reduce the risk of the River Don overflowing, as it did nearly nine years ago, while maintaining the look of the area.

Mr Letwin and his team are also visiting the site of the proposed Lower Don Valley Flood Defence Project, which aims to reduce the flood risk of up to 500 existing businesses and up to 5,000 jobs.

The project is being delivered by Sheffield City Council in partnership with the Environment Agency and with support from the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce.

The National Flood Resilience Review was launched In January 2016 following the floods over Christmas. The Review is aimed to assess how the country can be better protected from future flooding and increasingly extreme weather events.

Tory minister Oliver Letwin is in Sheffield today visiting flood defences. PIC: ROB LOCKTory minister Oliver Letwin is in Sheffield today visiting flood defences. PIC: ROB LOCK
Tory minister Oliver Letwin is in Sheffield today visiting flood defences. PIC: ROB LOCK
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Mr Letwin said: “Flood events are a fact of nature but as our climate changes, they are likely to get more intense and more frequent. We can’t stop floods happening but we can affect how we react to them.

“After December’s floods this Government took decisive action to help affected communities. An extra £700 million was announced in the Budget to boost flood defences and resilience across the nation, with £150 million of this pledged for Yorkshire and Cumbria. This huge investment will help improve our resilience but it needs to be spent in a way that will make the biggest impact.

“I wanted to see for myself the excellent work agencies are doing in Sheffield and what the Review can learn to improve flood response across the country.”