Flood defence cash for Whiston homes

FLOOD-hit homes in a Rotherham village are set to become the biggest recipients of grant funding aimed at easing the effects of future downpours.

The Environment Agency has announced that 57 properties in Whiston would each receive a share of £240,000 worth of investment in flood defences when it revealed the list of successful applicants for a £2.34 million grant scheme.

The scheme will benefit around 600 homes across the UK but Upper Whiston, Middle Whiston and Lower Whiston are set make Rotherham one of the scheme’s largest recipients of grant aid.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

More than a third of the EA’s grant money will be assigned to communities in Yorkshire.

A spokeswoman for Rotherham Borough Council, who will distribute the grant funding, said: “The properties in Whiston due to receive grant funding lie adjacent to the River Whiston Brook and were flooded in both 2000 and 2007.

“It’s great news that this investment will take place.

“We will now be carrying out surveys to see which buildings would benefit from which flood prevention measures before deciding how the money can be best spent.”

The spokeswoman said that floodgates in front of doorways and the relocation of ventilation could be two simple measures implemented at properties in Whiston.