Flood-stricken residents asked to remain vigilant as more rain forecast

People in areas affected by the floods are being asked to remain vigilant as more rain is forecast.

A band of rain spreading into tomorrow will bring the potential for further disruption across Cumbria, as well as parts of Lancashire and North Yorkshire, the Environment Agency has said.

However rivers are not expected to return to levels reached last weekend.

For the past two days, the agency has been working with the fire and rescue service to pump flood water back into rivers.

New flood defences in Carlisle have worked to aid recovery, with sluice gates being used to drain flood water away quickly and safely.

Chris Wilding, Environment Agency flood risk manager, said:

Environment Agency staff have been out in the local communities with emergency services and local authorities checking and maintaining flood defences.

Local flood wardens have been deployed in the areas worst affected.

In Appleby, a temporary sandbag defence has been constructed to reinforce flood defences, protecting 159 properties in the Chapel Street area.

The Environment Agency said figures from a rain gauge at Honister in the Lake District showed a UK record 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.

Mr Wilding added:

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.