27/11/2009 - Cumbria floods update 09:15am: Flood recovery effort makes huge strides in getting Cumbria back to normal : Cumbria County Council

Exactly a week after floods hit part of Cumbria, a massive effort from communities and a wide range of agencies and voluntary organisations has seen life returning to normal for most of the county.

Selected parts of Cumbria - particularly Keswick, Cockermouth, Ulverston and Workington - are still suffering from the aftermath of the floods, with people unable to return to their flooded homes and damage to roads and bridges causing travel disruption.

But most of Cumbria is very much 'open for business', with tourism chiefs urging visitors to continue coming to the Lakes as the county is largely unaffected and accessible. A quick phone call to Cumbria Tourism's visitor information helpline on 01539 825070 or a visit to www.golakes.co.uk

will be able to confirm whether the area people are planning to visit has been affected or not.

The damage caused by the flooding has clearly touched people all over the world, with a charitable fund topping over £500,000 within a week of being established. The message from small businesses in the county is that the best way people can show their support now is by visiting Cumbria in the crucial run up to Christmas.

Cumbria County Council's website www.cumbria.gov.uk is providing regular updates on road and bridge closures, with diversion maps also illustrated at www.cumbria.gov.uk/roads-transport/floods/diversionroutesallerdale.asp

For those areas that have been affected by the floods, massive strides have been made to support local people and help them get back on their feet. Evidence of progress includes:

- Lobbying from key agencies in the county has secured guarantees of support from the Government that they will help meet the cost of repairing the damaged infrastructure.

- Construction work will begin by the army tomorrow morning on a new temporary footbridge crossing the River Derwent in Workington, uniting communities currently cut off on the north and south side of the river following the collapse of Workington Bridge and the footbridge and structural damage making Calva Bridge unusable. It is hoped the new bridge will be completed by December 5th.

- Flood support centres have been established in Keswick, Cockermouth, Workington and Ulverston by a range of public sector agencies. Mobile centres in Keswick and Workington are providing support to communities cut off by the floods. A daily newsletter offering advice and information is also being distributed via the flood support centres.

- A temporary rail station is being built by Network Rail just north of the River Derwent to improve links on the two sides of the river.

- Extra bus services are being provided for both school children and the public.

- Structural engineers are due to complete their checks tomorrow on around 1,300 bridges which are near water (the county has around 1,800 bridges in total, but 500 are not near water and therefore haven't needed to be checked after the flooding). So far seven bridges have been identified as requiring principal bridge inspections, where divers will assess their foundations to look for scour damage and erosion. An inspection typically takes a day and can only be done once river levels are suitable.
These bridges are:
Holmrook Bridge - Holmrook (Copeland)
Egremont Bridge - Egremont (Copeland)
Broughton Bridge - Great Broughton (Allerdale)
Butt Bridge - Ennerdale Bridge (Copeland)
Wath Bridge - Cleator Moor (Copeland)
Gote Bridge – Cockermouth (Allerdale)
Greta Bridge – Keswick (Allerdale)
A number of other bridges remain closed either because they are clearly damaged beyond repair or there are still safety concerns. Only when engineers are satisfied that bridges are safe to open will they do so. Public safety is our priority.

- Traffic lights have been set up yesterday at Belle Vue Roundabout, Papcastle and will be operating from this morning (peak time) to help ease congestion and speed up journeys for people using the A66 diversion.

- Health services have been maintained throughout the disruption:
The Derwent House Surgery in-house dispensary has now relocated to a temporary building at Cockermouth Community Hospital. This facility will open on Monday for Derwent house patients.
Construction begins tomorrow on temporary GP practices next to Cockermouth community hospital, where South Street and Derwent House doctors have been operating a service all week.
Pharmacists in Cockermouth have temporarily re-located to the old Job Centre opposite Sainsbury’s.
Flu vaccination clinics have been set up in Cockermouth for at-risk groups to protect against respiratory illnesses.
Temporary GP clinics have been established in Northside and Seaton for residents cut off from Workington.

- Support for businesses has also been established. The North West Regional Development Agency (NWDA) has pledged up to £1 million for small businesses and is working closely with Cumbria County Council, Cumbria Chamber of Commerce and Government Office North West (GONW) to offer support to assist businesses which are suffering. Temporary accommodation is being organised for many small businesses displaced through the floods and further assistance is available through Business Link Northwest on 0845 00 66 888. Allerdale Borough Council has arranged for Business Rates exemption for affected companies.

- A temporary retail and business hub has been established in the Old Job Centre in Cockermouth.

- A charitable fund and grant aid has been established for affected individuals, families and community organisations suffering hardship through the floods. The Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund Appeal 2009 was launched by the Cumbria Community Foundation and stands at over £500,000. Anyone wishing to make a donation can visit the Cumbria County Council website homepage www.cumbriacc.gov.uk, phone 01900 820 828, or email david@cumbriafoundation.org

- Local station CFM Radio is running a donations helpline on 07907 060412 alongside Impact Housing and the Rotary Clubs in Workington and Cockermouth to organise collections of clothing, bedding, electrical goods and furniture to help families affected by the floods.

- Mobile banking services and food deliveries have been arranged for cut-off communities north of Workington.

- An emergency Household Waste Centre is opening tomorrow in Cockermouth to help people dispose of flood-damaged goods. The centre is situated at the old depot, Sullart Street in Cockermouth and will be open daily from 10am to 3pm between Saturday 28 November and Saturday 12 December.

- The RSPCA is operating a scheme for people who can't keep their animals with them for a short time because of the flooding. The RSPCA will board the animals at no charge to the owners, who can find out about the scheme by ringing 0300 1234 999.

Cllr Jim Buchanan, Leader of Cumbria County Council, said:
"It is amazing to think how far we have come in just a week. There's clearly a lot of work still to be done, but the way everybody has clubbed together to get on with the task at hand has been inspiring. With this kind of spirit and 'can do' attitude, we'll get through this. I'd like to thank all of the communities who have been affected for being so understanding about the disruption to their lives and all of the people working so hard behind the scenes."

ENDS

Media enquiries to Gareth Cosslett, News Manager on 01228 226332