THE Environment Agency has started a £1 million repair project to banks which could prevent or lessen future floods in Darfield.
The works to Houghton Washlands, upstream of Darfield on the Dearne, could take five weeks and are estimated to cost up to £1 million.
The washlands help keep water back from Darfield but rain was too heavy in June and water came over the banks causing damage and erosion. The Environment Agency said the flooding would have been much worse if the washlands had not been there.
Environment Agency staff have now started to clear the banks ready for the repairs.
The flood bank was built in the 1970s. There are utility cables in the ground, and a public footpath on top, which means engineers cannot just rebuild the bank. Instead they will build a new flood bank behind the old one to save time on diverting the cabling.
