Flood alleviation work starts in Allonby - but residents question should it have come sooner?
Flood alleviation works have started in a coastal village in Cumbria.
Seven homes were flooded in the beck in Allonby during the heavy rainfall at the end of October.
The beck has flooded previously but residents say such events are becoming more frequent. They say that the combination of heavy rain, the beck not being cleared and high tide are creating the problems.
Since the flooding last month, meetings have taken place between residents, the Environment Agency and local MP Mark Jenkinson.
The Environment Agency are taking action by dredging the beck. However, residents are concerned that this is insufficient. They also want to see the watercourse diverted back to its original course, which they say would take the water out into the Solway Firth more swiftly and to stop it backing up and overflowing.
Stewart Mounsey is the Environment Agency's Flood Risk Manager for Cumbria.
He said: "I'm always saddened to hear when people, such as those in Allonby, have flooded.
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