Two teams of workers from the Environment Agency's Operations Delivery team spent six weeks and around £35,000 clearing tonnes of rubbish and timber deposited by the flood waters at Niagara Weir, Hillsborough.

As part of the operation earth moving equipment was used in the River Don to take away tree trunks and the giant root balls.

The Environment Agency has now pledged to spend around £330,000 completing the clean-up and repairing damage caused by the devastating floods - more than double the city's normal annual maintenance bill of £150,000.

Staff have already investigated more than 50 reports from members of the public about debris in waterways across Sheffield.

"There is a lot of work to be done, and it will take a number of years for Sheffield's waterways to recover from the floods," said operations delivery manager Sue O'Neill.

"Our teams are working around the clock to make sure that trees and debris are cleared from waterways that are at risk of flooding, and then as winter approaches, they will start on their annual maintenance programme .

"This is on top of the design and repair work needed to restore damaged equipment and channels."

At Niagara Weir, officers repaired the channel after flood water deposited islands of gravel in the middle.

The gravel was removed and used to build a better access ramp to the river which has now been grassed over to help keep the structure together.

Up to £150,000 will be spent on clearing debris on rivers throughout Sheffield, including the Don from Hillsborough to Meadowhall which has a high risk of flooding.

On the River Sheaf, a new crane will be installed at a 'trash screen' to help officers grab and remove debris more effectively.

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The trash screen, which is 2.5 metres tall and 35 metres long, traps debris flushed down the river and prevents it from travelling further.

The screen could prevent a serious blockage inside the river's culverted stretch which would be impossible to access during a flood.

A blockage in the culvert could potentially flood the centre of Sheffield including Sheaf Street and the railway station.

Water levels at the screen are monitored 24 hours a day by equipment at the site which sends data electronically to flood teams based in Leeds.

When the water levels rise, the operations delivery team is alerted and clear away the blockage.