The payout is the first to be made by the Department for Transport (DfT) since local authorities affected by the floods were asked to submit bids for funding (Planning, 17 August, p6).
Sheffield City Council has yet to finalise its bid, but consultants commissioned by the DfT have estimated that at least this amount is needed for urgent repairs.
More cash will be available if necessary, a spokesman for the DfT said. Authorities have until the new year to submit their bids, he added. Winterton also officially opened the final phase of the Sheffield inner relief road, delayed by the flooding.
