A FLOOD relief fund has been set up to help dozens of people whose homes were ruined earlier this month.The South Yorkshire Community Foundation (SYCF) said just over 100 households were now known to be affected in Barnsley and appealed for people to apply for funding.Darton and Wombwell accounted for most of the flood-damaged properties following the torrential downpours on November 7. The council has offered £250 per house affected, topped up by a government grant of £500, and the SYCF has pledged another £100 per house initially, while larger sums will be considered in ‘exceptional circumstances’.

A statement said: “The flood disaster relief appeal is funded by donations from individuals, businesses, charitable trusts and funds from the SYCF. Individuals or families whose properties and contents have been damaged by a disaster or who are suffering other hardship as a result can apply. There will be one grant per household at this stage.”Barnsley Council leader Sir Steve Houghton said more will be done to protect residents.He said: “As we move into a recovery phase in Barnsley, we’ll be looking at our longer-term plans to review learning from the floods, and how we can work with our partners to improve flood defences where we can.”To apply to the fund click here