MORE than £250,000 has now been paid out by Bradford Council to residents since the district was hit by the record-breaking Boxing Day deluge.

The authority has revealed that 532 households have been supported so far, with a further £35,000 paid out in grants to help businesses recover.

An estimated £5 million of damage was caused across the district when Storm Eva caused rivers to burst their banks.

The unprecedented levels of rain, with nearly 100mm falling in the Keighley area alone, saw water running in rivers off hillsides and along roads and paths so fast that it overwhelmed drains.

The river levels for the Aire, Wharfe, and Worth produced fast-flowing dangerous waterways that overcame their flood defences in some places.

Households have been given a three-month discount on their Council Tax, with discounts currently totalling about £150,000, and the scheme will be extended if homes are still uninhabitable after three months.

Businesses have also been given a discount on their rates for three months or until the business restarts trading from flood-affected property, with discounts totalling about £563,000 to date.

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority Investment Committee has announced grants of between £5,000 and £100,000 to help small and medium-sized businesses across the Leeds City Region affected by the flooding.

The grants, which are being administered by the Council, will help businesses to buy new equipment or hire the machinery and premises needed to restart or maintain their business.

Householders and businesses can also apply for Flood Resilience Grants of up to £5,000 to help them to better prepare their homes and businesses for future flood events, both to prevent flood water from entering the property and to speed the recovery if it does.

Since the flooding on Boxing Day, Bradford Council has carried out structural safety inspections and assessments on bridges, roads and retaining walls across the district to ensure that they are safe for use.

Two footbridges in the district remain closed, Esholt Suspension Bridge and Myrtle Park Bridge.

Volunteer groups who helped during the flooding and helped residents cope in its immediate aftermath have also been able to claim £500 in support from the Council.

Kersten England, chief executive of Bradford Council, said: "This has been a very difficult time for the district and the response from local people, volunteers, councillors and our own staff has been magnificent, showing that true grit and community spirit is alive and well in our district.

"We are working as hard as we can to get help to those in the district affected, and anyone affected by the floods from Storm Eva should find out about what is available.

"Since Boxing Day the weather has been very changeable.

"This makes it a constant forecasting challenge for the Met Office, with details likely to change.

"Due to the ground still being saturated we will continue to monitor water levels and flooding risks within the district.”

For further information about flooding support available to residents and businesses, visit bradford.gov.uk/flooding.