Last updated at 07:20, Friday, 30 October 2009

FLOODING problems on Cockermouth’s Gote Road could come to an end after the Environment Agency agreed to carry out £35,000 of works on the river near Papcastle.

But residents are frustrated that they will have to wait until June for the work to be done.

Susan Cashmore, chairman of the flood action group, held a meeting last Friday with Workington MP Tony Cunningham and representatives of the Environment Agency, United Utilities, Natural England and the Highways Agency to discuss the results of a £40,000 survey carried out during the summer.

Six options were put forward by the Environment Agency to try to prevent flooding on the road, and reopening a channel where the river curves beneath Papcastle was seen as the most viable option.

Many residents have said that this is a primary reason why the river floods.

The channel was originally used to feed nearby mills but was filled in when they closed. There is now no escape for the water, which is forced back on to properties.

The Environment Agency will now look to remove the concrete and other materials blocking the channel so the water can escape more easily.

Jim Lawson, of Lawson’s Haulage, has offered to carry out some of the work for free to reduce the cost.

The Highways Agency has agreed to donate £10,000 towards the cost and the upgrading of the drainage system.

The Environment Agency will provide the rest of the money, which is within its budget but cannot be accessed until the summer. However, weather conditions and the need to secure funding mean the work cannot be carried out until at least June.

Residents said they were pleased that something would be done but were frustrated at the timescale.

Miss Cashmore said: “It is very frustrating that the works cannot be done sooner but we are making progress.

“The Environment Agency work on a different timescale to us because of all the red tape and bureaucracy they have to go through so it will happen but not in a time frame we want.”

Meanwhile, John Wall, of Cumbria Fire and Rescue, told the meeting that a joint visit to Gote Road by the Environment Agency and fire service, where they carried out safety checks and handed out leaflets, advising people about action to be taken during a flood, had been successful and the scheme would be rolled out across Cumbria.

First published at 19:36, Thursday, 29 October 2009
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk