News story

Bridgwater men save Cumbrian pensioner from floods

Two Environment Agency field staff who travelled up to Cumbria to provide emergency support to flooded communities found themselves at the centre of a dramatic rescue.

Environment Agency workers Dan Langdon, left, and Glyn Bowey

Environment Agency workers Dan Langdon, left, and Glyn Bowey

Glyn Bowey, 47, and Dan Langdon, 42, were knocking on doors and windows of flooded properties in the village of Levens, 6 miles south of Kendal, when they discovered a 76-year-old gentleman trapped in his bungalow surrounded by 4feet of flood water.

The local resident was discovered as Glyn and Dan did one final check of a row of bungalows in the village.

With the help of another local resident, our staff worked to help the elderly gentleman to safety.

Glyn said:

We decided not to walk the gentleman out of his home as the flood water was too high. So we fetched a Land Rover from one of our local depots and Dan lent his waders to the gentleman so we could get him from his front door into the vehicle. Dan then walked in front of the vehicle, constantly checking the depth of the water with a pole until we had reached the outskirts of the village.

Our staff were greeted with a round of applause as they led the local resident to safety, leaving him in the care of a South Lakeland District Councillor.

The rescue was a dramatic example of the work our staff do to help communities impacted by flooding.

Glyn and Dan spent the rest of their time in Cumbria pumping flood water away from the Circus roundabout in Carlisle, a critical part of the local traffic system. The site and nearby council office was clear of water by last Wednesday evening (9 December) enabling the pair (who are based at our Bradney Depot near Bridgwater in Somerset) to return home the following day.

Notes to editors

Picture caption: Environment Agency workers Dan Langdon, left, and Glyn Bowey.

The Environment Agency sent more than 140 staff, 16 pumps and over 1km of temporary flood barriers to help flood-hit communities in Cumbria.

Sir James Bevan, the new chief executive of the Environment Agency, will be visiting our Bradney Depot on Thursday 17 December 2015. We hope to arrange a photo of him meeting Dan and Glyn during his visit.

Published 16 December 2015