The Environment Agency is starting work in the river channel in Clayton West this week to help reduce the risk of flooding in the town.

Gravel deposits have built up at the bridge and will be removed as part of the work which will take place in the River Dearne at Wakefield Road, Clayton West in Kirklees.

The Agency said that during high river flows it is important to ensure that bridges and the nearby channel don’t restrict the flow of water. To ensure this, gravel deposits will be reduced from areas where it has built up in the river, downstream of the Wakefield Road bridge arches.

The project is part of the £32 million programme of recovery works across Yorkshire to repair defences damaged by the flood event last February. Since November Agency officers have inspected over 3,000 flood defence assets along the Rivers Don, Dearne, Rother and Aire, carried out urgent repairs, and continued work to improve flood defences.

To plan the works, the project team has worked with flood risk, geomorphology and fisheries specialists from the Environment Agency to minimise the impact the reduction of the deposits may have on fish and wildlife in the area. Carrying out the works in September ensures the works are completed before fish spawning periods and the bird nesting season.

Lianne Grogan, Sheffield catchment advisor for the Environment Agency, said:

“These works are important as part of our river maintenance programme to help reduce the risk of flooding.

“We’ve worked closely with teams to consider flood risk, fish and wildlife, and this approach ensures the works balance the need to improve the flow of water through the river during a flood, whilst also retaining channel gravels for aquatic species.

“We can’t entirely prevent flooding from rivers and streams, but we can reduce the likelihood of flooding by ensuring that rivers, becks and streams are free from excess debris and vegetation that might block the watercourse so that in high rain events water remains in the channel.”