Cumbria river bursts banks again after more heavy rain

Heavy rain has hit Cumbria, causing problems on roads, and the village of Glenridding has been flooded again after the river burst its banks.

Glenridding, which had been cut off since Sunday, has suffered further flooding, and police, military officers and the fire service are at the scene.

“We want to urge the public not to approach or go near any flood water as it is extremely fast flowing and can be a threat to peoples lives”.

But despite assurances from forecasters, who said rivers were not expected to reach the levels seen over the weekend, the picturesque village was once again submerged in water.

Floods and storm weather hammered the North West county during December 3, 4, 5 and 6 peaking on Saturday December 5.

She said: “I think there is a big job to be done in helping people understand flood risk”.

Resident Mandy Howard-Carter, 35, said her quick-thinking husband, Ali, who used to be in the Mountain Rescue service, fetched a rope and fed it across the bridge to help villagers wade through the knee-deep water.

A spokesperson for Cumbria County Council said: “To have two such significant floods one after the other is a real blow”.

“Later we re-visited properties with fire personnel and reassured residents that we could get to them if they needed anything at all during the night’. It ensures help is available to residents and businesses to get families back into their homes and businesses back trading again as quickly as possible”.

The video shows the hugely swollen River Eamont rushing past the remains of Pooley Bridge following its collapse.

This morning Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, described the situation as “absolutely horrendous” and said lessons must be learnt.

Local photographer Charlene Bell Tweeted: “We need #bigdiggers and we need them now”.

He said that measures taken in the wake of flooding in the area six years ago had not been enough to help the community this time around.

He told BBC Breakfast: “After the floods of 2009 they dredged our beck but they didn’t do it deep enough, in my opinion, and they also didn’t fix the walls which the water was coming through six years ago, so this year it just totally destroyed it because there was no cement left in the walls”.

A couple from Backbarrow told how they battled through the floods to hospital with just minutes to spare before their son arrived.

The fund will have a special focus on supporting individuals and families, experiencing financial hardship due to the floods, says the foundation, alongside supporting community organisations across the country who will be at the forefront of community support and rebuilding efforts.

It has kicked off its £1 million appeal with a donation of £50,000 from its own funds and is asking people who can help to give generously.