by Joe Jeffrey
Three inches of rain hit Britain in one day as flood victims face fresh misery
A caravan park in Cumbria disappeared under flood water on Thursday, as torrential downpour from the effects of Storm Desmond continued to bring misery to many across Northern England.
Business owner, Jon Holdsworth, of Patterdale Hall Estate, Cumbria, described the floods as being of “biblical” proportions upon surveying the damage caused by unprecedented amounts of rain, whilst many other business owners and individuals took a look firsthand at damage caused.
Three more inches of rain fell in 48 hours across Cumbria, as the onslaught of Storm Desmond continued to make water levels rise and bring more havoc across the region, with many villages continuing to remain cut off from civilisation following the closure of over 130 bridges.
Worst hit was the village of Glenridding in Cumbria, after Glenridding Beck overflowed and caused huge swathes of water to trap villagers in their homes. The military were subsequently able to access the village on Wednesday to bring in food and water for those holed up with no place to go.
Now, with further rainfall breaking the river’s banks once again, digger teams are frantically working around the clock in a bid to create temporary defences in the hope that further damage can be avoided.
Meanwhile, the secretary of state for communities, Greg Clarke, has pledged £51 million for homes and businesses affected by flooding, whilst stating the government is” determined to stand squarely behind them.”
Earlier this week, chancellor George Osborne said families affected would be able to claim up to £5,000 each to deal with damage caused by the unprecedented rainstorms described as “something never seen before” by Cumbrian council officials.
Superintendent Justin Bibby, of Cumbria Police, said: “As part of the multi-agency response to this week’s flooding across Cumbria, we were set to respond to the further heavy rainfall predicted for last night.
“I am pleased to say that the response was quick to last night’s flooding and multi-agency partners were able to reassure the community of Glenridding that everything was in place, and being done, to ensure their safety throughout the operation.”
Police, Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service and the Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team in were in the village throughout the night providing support and assistance to residents.
