Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme completed nine years after Storm Eva left city underwater
A £200million scheme to protect thousands of homes in Leeds from flooding has been completed - almost nine years after the city was hit by a devastating deluge.
The Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme aims to protect more than 4,000 homes and 1,000 businesses along the River Aire.
Bosses say it will also help safeguard more than 33,000 jobs.
An event marking the project's completion was held at a new flood storage area by the riverside near Calverley on Friday.
It comes almost nine years after heavy rain during Storm Eva caused the River Aire to burst its banks on Boxing Day 2015, leaving around 1,000 homes and 400 businesses under water.
Council leader James Lewis said: "We all remember the devastation and misery caused by Storm Eva and recent extreme weather events, and the confidence this scheme offers will be immeasurable in our city for decades to come.
“This has been a mammoth project, one of the biggest ever undertaken in Leeds in terms of its importance, scale and ambition, and everyone involved in it can rightly be proud of the part they have played."
The first phase of the flood scheme, started in 2014 and completed in 2017, saw the creation of new moveable weir gates across the river at Crown Point and Knostrop.
New flood walls and embankments covering 4.5km through Leeds city centre and beyond were installed.
Phase two saw flood defence walls raised, embankments reinforced and flow control structures installed, along with the removal of obstructions, on a 14km stretch from the city centre to Apperley Bridge.
The new flood storage area near Calverley can hold up to up to 1.8million cubic metres of floodwater - the equivalent of 720 Olympic-sized swimming pools - in the event of extreme rainfall and high river levels.
The 200m-long structure features two new moveable flood gates which can be raised and lowered to release water downstream.
Around 750,000 trees have been planted and soil and land management measures have been introduced to provide natural protection alongside the man-made defences.
The scheme - led by the council and the Environment Agency - is said to offer protection against all flooding up to one-in-200-year events.
Mike Dugher, Yorkshire area director for the Environment Agency, said: "Communities across Yorkshire have repeatedly experienced the devastating effects flooding has on lives and livelihoods.
"The Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme exemplifies the power of partnership in achieving remarkable outcomes, integrating civil engineering works with natural flood risk management in the upper catchments, significantly reducing flood risk to Leeds city centre and the surrounding areas."
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.