Badly damaged moors within the Peak District and South Pennine moors between Manchester and Sheffield are to receive a makeover thanks to a £5.5m investment by the European Union.

The five-year MoorLIFE project is one of the largest conservation projects to be funded by the EU Life+ programme, and will be spearheaded by the Moors for the Future Partnership.

The scheme aims to protect the Active Blanket Bog by restoring bare and eroding peat across an 8sq km within the South Pennines Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Area (SPA).

Natural England chair Poul Christensen said: "As well as providing unique habitats for rare and special wildlife, peatlands are a vital buffer against climate change, they have a major role to play in alleviating flood risk and they help supply us with millions of litres of water every day.

"One third of England's active blanket bog is found here in the Peak District, and it is extremely encouraging to see the work that is going on to restore this vital part of the nation's natural infrastructure."