Press release

Environment Agency asks for continued vigilance throughout recovery

The Environment Agency is urging communities in northern England to remain vigilant as recovery from the exceptional floods continues.

Flood recovery work in Braithwaite

Flood recovery work

As of 17:42pm, there is 1 severe flood warning, at St Michaels in Lancashire, 41 flood warnings and 29 flood alerts.

On Wednesday into Thursday morning, a band of rain brings the potential for further disruption across Cumbria, as well as parts of Lancashire and North Yorkshire. Flood Warnings may be re-issued for Appleby, Carlisle, Keswick, Cockermouth and Kendal but rivers are not expected to return to levels observed last weekend.

For two days, the Environment Agency and Fire and Rescue Service have been pumping flood water back into rivers as fast as river levels allow. The new flood defences in Carlisle have worked to aid recovery, ensuring that after flooding occurs sluice gates allow the water to be drained away quickly and safely. In Appleby, a temporary sandbag defence has been constructed to effect a repair of a flood wall, protecting 159 properties in the Chapel Street area.

Chris Wilding, Environment Agency Flood Risk Manager, said:

Our thoughts are with everyone that has been flooded. Environment Agency teams are checking and maintaining flood defences, clearing blockages in rivers, monitoring water levels and working with local flood wardens in the areas worst affected.

We urge people not drive through flood water: just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car. People should check their flood risk and keep up to date with the latest situation at https://www.gov.uk/check-if-youre-at-risk-of-flooding or follow @EnvAgency and #floodaware on Twitter for the latest flood updates.”‎

The Environment Agency said figures from a rain gauge at Honister in the Lake District showed 341mm of rain had fallen in 24 hours over the weekend. The average rainfall for Cumbria for the month of December is 146.1mm, the Met Office said.

Published 8 December 2015