£3m scheme aims to save area from repeat of devastating flood

The improvements are targeted at three locations along Ea Beck in Toll Bar which has a history of flooding, most devastatingly in the June 2007 disaster.

Environment Agency officers are holding two community events this month to provide the public with more information.

Project officer John Woods said: "Ea Beck has a history of flooding and it is vital that the defences in this vulnerable area are in top condition.

"We already have contractors on site carrying out the work in some areas of Bentley and Toll Bar, however people will see more activity along the defences as the weeks progress.

"The work is in a number of locations and we are urging residents to find out more by dropping in to talk to us at one of our information sessions."

The scheme includes building a new 350-metre-long flood bank at Ea Beck Triangle, improving a further 350-metre stretch of the riverbank and also realigning the channel.

An Environment Agency spokesman added: "Improvements have also been earmarked for a 800-metre stretch of flood bank between Duck Holt to Tilts Bridge and an additional 600 metres of flood bank will be strengthened upstream of Ea Beck Triangle.

"In some areas, the work is part of our routine maintenance programme while in other locations, staff have surveyed the area and designed specific improvements."

On June 25, 2007 torrential rain caused surface water flooding at Toll Bar and Ea Beck where the water was held back by the tide on the River Don, where water levels were the highest ever recorded.

The beck overtopped the flood defences at Ea Beck Triangle and the flood water overwhelmed drainage pumps.

More than 500 homes were flooded that night and about 280 residents from Toll Bar and Bentley spent more than a week sleeping in temporary rest centres, as firefighters pumped water out of the villages and back into Ea Beck in the largest-ever peacetime fire service operation seen in Britain.

People will be able to find out more about about the new flood

prevention scheme at two information sessions organised by the Environment Agency.

These sessions will take place from 2pm to 7pm on Tuesday, August 3 at Toll Bar Community Centre, in Villa Gardens, and from 2pm to 6.30pm on Thursday, August 12 at Bentley Pavilion in Askern Road.

A new plaque was also put up in Rotherham last week to mark the removal of Grafton Bridge over the River Don, which should reduce the risk of flooding in Rotherham town centre which was also badly hit in 2007.

The original foundation stone from the bridge has been reused as the plinth for a new history plaque, which was unveiled by Coun Gerald Smith and Yorkshire's regional flood defence committee chairman, Arthur Barker.

Coun Smith said: "Of course, this historic plaque has a great deal of significance in terms of our recent history – more specifically, the floods which devastated the town centre and surrounding areas just a few years ago.

"The work that has taken place here will be incredibly important if flooding ever strikes again and we thank the regional flood defence committee for their support for the bridge removal. However, I'm certain that we all have our fingers crossed that it won't."

The Grade II-listed bridge over the River Don, dating back to 1876 and closed to vehicles in 1998 due to corrosion, was removed in October last year.

Its removal will reduce the high water levels by 18-26 inches over the stretch of the River Don between the old bridge and upstream to Tesco weir.