Leeds sidelined as £12.5m announced for '˜temporary' flood defences
MILLIONS of pounds are being spent on new temporary flood defences after a Government review.
The National Flood Resilience Review was set up after devastating floods last winter across parts of Yorkshire, to assess how the country could be better protected from future flooding and increasing extreme weather.
Storms last December inflicted misery on parts of West, South and North Yorkshire and Cumbria, where in some places flood defences did not work, forcing thousands of people from their homes over Christmas. Some have still not been able to return.
The long-awaited report outlines £12.5 million for temporary defences such as barriers and high-volume water pumps.
But Leeds, where some of the worst flooding occurred, is barely mentioned in today’s report, which instead focuses on a pilot project in Sheffield, which the government says will “enable the city to identify development of a type that will beautify the city-scape, unlock opportunities for urban regeneration and fit with local development priorities”.
West Yorkshire’s Calder Valley - also the scene of heavy flooding last winter - was used as a “survey area” in the report, but it contains no specific proposals to prevent further floods there.
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