Chief executive of Sheffield Chamber of Commerce Nigel Tomlinson said: “Mr Hutton will take back to London and central government with him a lasting impression of how genuinely concerned and utterly shocked the businesses he met are by what has happened to them.

“But what he also witnessed during his fact-finding mission was Sheffield’s ‘can do’ attitude and a sense of a community pulling together – businesses helping out other businesses. The chamber itself was badly affected by the severe weather and we were overwhelmed by the offers of help and assistance, not just from the city council and patrons like Sheffield Hallam University but also from many of our smaller member businesses.

“Mr Hutton has pledged to immediately double the £1million Yorkshire Forward funding and plans to meet with the Environment Agency and the River Authority to further discuss flood defences.

“I was very impressed by how clearly, succinctly and professionally the businesses put across their case to Mr Hutton – the issues facing them and what they need to overcome them.

“The key problems to tackle are insurance and damage to machinery, products and premises – these are all potential blows to a business’s cash flow and, ultimately, affect their chances of survival.

“There will be casualties; that is inevitable when freak weather on this scale hits a business community, but there must now be a partnership between central and local government and the regional development agency to ensure we minimise the impact as much as we possibly can and prevent loss wherever possible.”