Derbyshire County Council faces £20m bill as flood cleanup continues

As Derbyshire continues to recover from the devastation of November’s floods, the county council has revealed that repairs to infrastructure are expected to cost around £20m.
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This bill covers the repair work necessary after last month’s deluge caused severe damage to the county’s roads, bridges and structures.

Floods caused more than 100 road closures, with 116 businesses and around 300 homes affected. Around 125 miles of roads across the county were damaged.

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The damage to roads includes several sites where the road surface was completely swept away, leaving utility pipes visible, multiple potholes, large patches of damage to the road surface and thousands of blocked drains and gulleys.

November floods destroyed infrastructure across Derbyshire. This is in Darley Dale.November floods destroyed infrastructure across Derbyshire. This is in Darley Dale.
November floods destroyed infrastructure across Derbyshire. This is in Darley Dale.

There were also 24 damaged bridges, retaining walls and culverts need to be fixed. Loose rock on a cliff next to a major road at Stoney Middleton had to be removed so the road could re-open.

Two roads are still closed because of landslips. One, at Abney in the Derbyshire Dales, has caused almost all of the road to disappear, leaving local people with a 26 mile detour. This road alone could cost £1m to re-build.

The council’s budget for road repairs is £17.5m, meaning there is a £2.5m shortfall. It is hoping that the Government will step in to help fund the urgent repairs.

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Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Infrastructure, Councillor Simon Spencer, said: “The floods have really left their mark on the county with huge amounts of damage caused.

“We’ve been asked by the Government for an estimate of the cost of the damage and will be sending our report to them this week.

“The Prime Minister has taken a personal interest in Derbyshire and has offered us the support we need to put right the damage caused. I’m hopeful that we will be given the funding we need to sort out the issues caused by the floods.”

Hardship Funds are available to businesses and residents who have been affected by the floods.

Residents who were evacuated or whose homes were flooded are eligible to apply for a one-off payment of £104.

Emergency payments of up to £300 are available to businesses with up to 50 employees.