Sheffield City Council is consulting on proposals to divert floodwater into parks and woodlands in the event of a severe storm.

The council is considering a range of proposals as part of a £83m investment programme to protect the city from flooding. One of the ideas put forward is to temporarily flood open spaces to protect homes and businesses.

It is also consulting on other options such as building new flood defences and opening up underground sections of rivers.

Cllr Bryan Lodge, Cabinet Member for Environment, said: ‘Some of these options are sensitive, including the temporary flooding of ancient woodland and changes to some of the city’s parks which may include the removal of trees.

‘But it’s worth stressing that these are only options, no decisions have been made, and it’s really important for people to have their say on how to protect the city from flooding in the future.’

As well as protecting 6,000 homes and 1,760 businesses, the £83m investment programme will also enable the development of 46 hectares of land and create up to 15,000 new jobs.

Cllr Lodge added: ‘We are aiming to provide flood protection so that the chance of a flood occurring is no more than 1 in 200 in any given year. At present, there is a one in 25 chance in any given year of parts of the city flooding from the Rivers Sheaf or Don.’