ISSUED ON BEHALF OF CUMBRIA LOCAL RESILIENCE FORUM
Agencies across Cumbria have worked throughout the weekend to plan for and respond to incidents resulting from heavy and persistent rainfall across the county.
Earlier today (15 December), amber and yellow weather warnings for rain which were in place for the county were lifted.
Following a further meeting of all agencies and connected response groups, the multi-agency response has been formally stood down.
Agencies are continuing to deal with the impact of the substantial rainfall which has fallen across the county over the past 72 hours.
It is reported that a small number of homes were flooded with those affected being supported. There continues to be several routes across Cumbria’s road network which are impacted by flooding.
Proactive flood prevention work, led by the Environment Agency, successfully protected areas of Cockermouth. This was supported by significant work undertaken by agencies and community groups to support those who were at risk of flooding.
Five flood warnings and ten flood alerts remain in place across the county.
Agencies are advising people to remain vigilant and take extra care on the county’s roads as conditions remain difficult.
People are also advised to take care near rivers, many of which remain at a high-level and are fast-moving, and to keep young children and pets under close supervision. Where possible, people are asked to stay clear of river edges as these areas may be extremely slippery.
Chief Superintendent Carl Patrick, of Cumbria Constabulary, chaired the Local Resilience Forum response.
He said: “Agencies across Cumbria have once again come together to ensure the safety of our communities during a potentially significant weather event.
“Despite a substantial volume of rainfall over a prolonged spell, the impact on the county has not been as severe as initially predicted. There are many people who have worked tirelessly over the past three days to ensure that robust plans were in place should we have had to respond to more severe consequences. I would like to thank all of those involved for their efforts.
“Agencies will continue to monitor the situation as whilst the river levels and weather situation is improving, there are still potential risks to the public. There remain several roads which are affected by flooding, and we do have fast-moving rivers with an increased volume of water. I would encourage everyone to continue to take on board the advice from our agencies to help keep you safe.”
Paul Thompson, Area Duty Manager for the Environment Agency, said: “The situation is improving across the region as rivel levels begin to drop. We do still have flood warnings and alerts in place, so its important communities remain vigilant.
“Our teams are out on the ground, taking action to reduce the impact of flooding and support those communities affected.
“We urge people not to drive though flood water – it is often deeper than it looks and just 30cm of flowing water is enough to float your car.
"People should search ‘check my flood risk’ to get free flood warnings and keep up to date with the latest situation.”
Further information from the Environment Agency
- As of lunchtime on 15 December there are five flood warnings and ten flood alerts in place.
- This was a significant event, and their incident room was open across the weekend.
- Further rainfall is expected later in the week on Wednesday and Thursday so communities are urged to Prepare for flooding: Protect yourself from future flooding - GOV.UK – get flood warnings and see the latest situation.