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Scenes
from the Cockermouth Floods
*Latest
News release from the Environment Agency...including mention of
possible future flood alleviation for Gote area.
*
February 12 2010 We asked the County Council the reasons for closure
of workable bridges such as Gote Bridge..this was the reply:"The
bridge closures for traffic management reasons has been officer led
(as the officers have the in-depth specialist highways knowledge) but
councillors have been informed of this course of action."
Q: When will Ouse Bridge (Allerdale) be open?: A: Ouse Bridge has now
been checked but requires repairs before it is safe to open to both
vehicles and pedestrians. The necessary repairs are weather dependent
as they need to be carried out underwater, which involves putting divers
in the water. This will not happen until it is safe to do so.Estimate
cost: £80k Timescale: 30 April 2010.
*January20 2010 Isel
bridge open to pedestrians and cyclists. But remains closed to vehicles
"for traffic management reasons" we are told.
*January 15 2010
Civil Engineer, Dr Les Tickner appointed flood recovery manager for
12 month term for Cockermouth.
* Cockermouth Rotary awards £10,000 to aid recovery at Cockermouth
Cricket club.
* Work on temporary road bridge for Workington now scheduled to start
in February according to local authorities.
*January 24 Association of British Insurers estimated the Cumbrian flood
damage costs at £206 million.
* January 1 2010 Farmers can apply to LAGs for grants of up to £6,800
to make their land usable again by moving gravel and other debris such
as household items and vehicles. Defra is also urgently exploring the
scope for further support for those farmers whose costs may exceed this
figure. also A free train service set up to help Cumbrian residents
affected by the recent floods will continue operating until May 2010
thanks to an extra £750,000 of Government funding. The
hourly service was set up in November to provide a vital link for Workington
residents who found themselves cut off when flood waters divided the
town.
December30 Melvyn
Bragg paid visit of support to town...also the following message of
support came from the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs. "I
have been very impressed by the many people I have met who have worked
tirelessly in the aftermath of the floods and I send my good wishes
to you for the future." Hilary Benn MP
December 23
2009 Cockermouth's Derwent (Gote) bridge has re-opened to pedestrians...South
Street footbridge also re-opened.
Dec 21 2009 Southwaite
bridge re-opens.
December 15 2009
County Council and Highways Agency start tendering for new temporary
road bridge for Workington, they state this should mean that Workington
will have a new road bridge by late spring 2010. Plans are also in place
to lay new a gas main under the river at Cockermouth to replace the
one on the bridge (this will have no effect on supplies to users).
*Police will hold surgeries across the area where all
residents and owners of flood affected properties are invited to attend
to pick up a free property marking kit and get tips on keeping themselves
and their properties safe and secure.Drop-In Crime Prevention Surgery
Details: Cockermouth;Monday 21 and Wednesday 23 December - 12pm-2pm
at The Bridge Cafe on Wakefield Road Car Park and Tuesday 22 and Thursday
24 December - 12pm-2pm in the Christchurch Rooms on South Street.
*Local
solicitors Kevin Commons to investigate whether United Utilities
could have done more to reduce the floods impact.
* Broughton Bridge, near Cockermouth, will stay closed for "months".
*December 16 Cockermouth GP John Howarth and community
nurse Jane Mooney were among a group from NHS Cumbria who recently met
Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Health Minister Ann Keen at Number 10.
*The Flood Recovery
Group has met once/not seen any minutes or details yet/
is made up of:Cockermouth Town Councillors,Cockermouth County Councillors,Cockermouth
Allerdale Councillors,Faith Group representative,Chamber of trade,Flood
action group,Highfield Residents Group,A representative from Broughton,
Papcastle, Lorton and Loweswater parish councils,Police,Lions,Rotary,
Age Concern and Roundtable.
*A temporary footbridge
across the River Derwent at Workington was opened on Monday (Dec7/2009).
*A temporary railway station (Workington North) built in six days to help
reunite the town of Workington devastated by floods opened yesterday.
*Fourteen more temporary units are to be created for businesses forced
out of their premises by flooding. Mitchells Auction Company in Cockermouth
this weekend announced plans to provide 14 new temporary units in their
warehouse on Lorton Street. These will cost a rental fee of £1,100
per six months.
*Workington
police station re-opened.Today, (Monday 30th November).
*Flood-hit Jennings is set to restart work at its historic Cockermouth
brewery in January.
*Cumbria Bridges update (issued Dec3 2009)
Cocker Bridge in Cockermouth is now open to pedestrians.
Liza Low bridge near Cornhow and Scawgill near High Lorton are also now
open.
Principal bridge inspections will be continuing and more bridges are expected
to open
over the next few days.
The only bridges that remain fully closed are as follows:
Allerdale:
U2199 Low Lorton Bridge (collapsed)
A5086 Gote Road Cockermouth
A597 Northside Bridge (collapsed)
B5291 Ouse Bridge to Castle Inn
C2170 Broughton Bridge
C2202 Southwaite Bridge
U2217 Little Braithwaite Bridge (collapsed)
C2026 Isel Bridge
A596 Workington Bridge Calva Bridge
U2181 Scarness Bridge
B5289 Honister Hause
C2058 Rigg Beck (Mill Dam Bridge)
U2423 Barepot Road
U2007 Laythes.
Footbridge closures:
Camerton (collapsed)
Navvies Footbridge, Workington (collapsed)
Portinscale Footbridge
Memorial Gardens Footbridge, Cockermouth (collapsed)
South Street/Kirkgate Footbridge, Cockermouth
Workington Docks Old Railway footbridge
Brewery Footbridge, Cockermouth
*To help people dispose
of any household items damaged as a result
of flooding Cumbria County Council will be opening an emergency
household waste centre on a temporary basis at the old depot,
Sullart Street in Cockermouth. The new site will be open daily from
10am to 3pm between Saturday 28 November and Saturday 12
December.
*Derwent
Mill and South Street GP surgeries are operating out of the Cottage
Hospital from 8am to 8pm weekendays
Patients at both these surgeries should now contact
their own surgery on the normal surgery telephone numbers as below
to arrange an appointment.
South Street Surgery:
01900 324123 (Reception)
01900 324121 (Prescription requests)
Derwent House Surgery:
01900 324100 (Reception)
01900 324101 (Prescription requests)...
Fitz Road Surgery will be open as normal.
*Allisons chemists operating out of the former Jobcentre opposite
Sainsburys.
Flood Information bulletin from
county council
The flood support centre at Christchurch, South
Road is open 10 am to 5pm
List of those agencies at Christchurch
Here you can charge their
mobile phones for free, register for free bulky waste collection
and ask
any questions about the difficulties you're facing.
For an urgent GP service outside normal surgery hours call
Cumbria Health On Call on 01228 401999
(North Cumbria)
United Utilities; Problems with water supply/wastewater: 0845
746 2200.
Electricity safety checks: 0800 195 41 41.
24-hour
Allerdale council helpline for all flooding issues or enquiries:
01900 702911
Shops
that have started to Re-open
Listing
of Tradesmen who may be able to help
Accommodation
Offers on Visitcumbria.com website
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**Cockermouth Library
is temporarily
located in Christ Church, South Street.
*The Guardian reports that the Primary Care Trust has applied to the
Cabinet's emergency committee Cobra for extra funding to speed up the
new GP centre at Cockermouth hospital and start planning its permanent
successor.
**Extra rail services are running between Whitehaven and Carlisle' All
services will call at Flimby station.
Saturday 28/11/2009 **HRH Prince Charles paid flying visit today (Sat).
*Consumers have a legal right to a 7 day cooling off period after they
enter into any agreements in their own home (ref doorstepping offers).
Cumbria County Council's website features a (hard to use!) road diversion
maps showing
the alternative routes people should take and where roads/bridges are
closed at the following link
www.cumbria.gov.uk/floods/roadbridgenews.asp
To keep up-to-date with public transport information in flood affected
areas visit the transport section on Cumbria County Council's website
at
www.cumbria.gov.uk/roads-transport/floods/public/alternative_ways_to_tra
vel.asp
Bus Services
Stagecoach
X4/X5 : Workington –
Cockermouth – Keswick - Penrith
58 : Maryport – Cockermouth via
Dearham
600 : Carlisle – Cockermouth -
Whitehaven
Operating via Low Road, turning
right at Wordsworth House, then
via Gallowbarrow Road, with a
temporary stop at the School.
Reays Coaches
34: Cockermouth - Slatefell
Is still operating but may be running
late. Cockermouth Main Street can
not be accessed, the temporary bus
stop is at the old fire station
on Lorton Street.
35 : Workington –
Cockermouth via Great
Broughton
Cockermouth Main Street can not
be accessed, the temporary bus stop
is opposite the old fire station
on Lorton Street and will also call at
Gallowbarrow.
The bridge at Little Broughton is not
passable so the bus is diverting to
Dovenby. All stops are still in place
for Little Broughton. Can not pick
up or drop off in Workington, this is
starting and finishing from Seaton,
Pack Horse.
The service may be running late
36: Workington – Cockermouth
via Greysouthen
Cockermouth Main Street can not
be accessed, the temporary bus stop
is at the old fire station on Lorton
Street and will run via Lamplugh
Road. May be running late.
Connections can be made with
Stagecoach Services X4/X5,
58 and 600 on Gallowbarrow
Road where they have a
temporary stop at the School.
Ken Routledge
101 : Cockermouth – Rose Lane
Running as normal but from the old
fire station on Lorton Street not
Market Place
949 : Buttermere –
Cockermouth (Dial a Ride)
Running as normal
Stagecoach are providing an hourly Northside to Maryport service departing
Northside
at five past the hour.
There is an hourly service between Seaton and Maryport departing Seaton
at ten past
the hour
* Military to install temporary footbridge in Workington It has been
confirmed that a new temporary footbridge spanning the River
Derwent in Workington will be built by the army.
Hopefully the footbridge will be open to the public by December 5th.
*Potential loss
of communications in the event of a collapse of Calva Bridge Emergency
services are urging residents in Seaton and Camerton to consider personal
contingency arrangements to ensure that, in the event of collapse, they
are still able to make a 999 call. Were the bridge to collapse, telephone
communications would be lost to around 3,000 homes north of the river.
* Speaking
in the House of Commons during Prime Minister's Questions, Gordon Brown
confirmed that the Department of Transport will meet the costs of road
and bridge repairs and also the costs of improving rail links in cut-off
communities.
*The A595 Papcastle bridge is OPEN but traffic is very slow moving..please
avoid unless essential journey. (scroll down for road closures latest
on Wednesday 25th)
* Cumbria Council states at 4pm on Tuesday 24th that 'So far the only
schools that have confirmed they will be closed tomorrow (Wednesday)
are Ennerdale and Kinniside, Cockermouth and Keswick.'
*Business Rates
exemption is available for those properties which are now closed
and unusable as a result of the floods. The exemption is for a maximum
of three months (or to 31 March 2010 if the rateable value is under
£15,000).
To apply, please contact Allerdale Borough Council at
revenues@allerdale.gov.uk or telephone 01900 702670, giving the
address of the property and your business rates account number (if available).
If the premises are so badly damaged that repair looks unlikely, you
should contact the local
Valuation Officer in Carlisle on 01228 600200 for further advice. He
may agree to remove it from the rating list completely.
*Both the United
Reform Church and Ropman Catholic Church are out of action because of
the flooding.
*- Cockermouth Library is closed due to flood damage
*Arrangements are being put in place to ensure the 461 school children
who cross the river at Workington every day to get to school will be
able to do so via school buses taking the diversion at Papcastle bridge.
Cumbria County Council's school transport team have been working hard
on contingency arrangements and hope they will be operational as early
as Wednesday.
*The county council is also urgently working on options to reconnect
the north and south of Workington by using a temporary bridge. As it
is now likely that a military bridge will not be suitable for local
traffic, the county council's civil engineers are working on possible
solutions. As soon as a solution is found and a work programme agreed,
local people will be informed. In the meantime we would urge people
to please be patient given the understandably heavy traffic using the
diversion at Papcastle. A temporary rail halt for North Workington is
to be constructed.
Day Care Centres
Closed:
The following day care have been cancelled until further
notice.
Richmond Park
Dale Moor
Princess Street
All service users will be followed up tomorrow morning to check what
additional support they will need in lieu of day care. All transport
has been cancelled.
* Police casualty bureau closed on Tuesday after everyone accounted
for.
**Email
messages:
The Annual Public Meeting of the Oxford Flood Alliance was held on Thursday
26 November and attended by over 80 people.
Everyone present wished to tell you that we are thinking of you, in
Keswick, Cockermouth and elsewhere in Cumbria, and understand what you
are going through at this terrible time.
You have already had an email from one of our Steering Group members,
Nick Hills, and we all wanted to follow up on his initiative.
As Nick said we have a website which may be of interest, particularly
perhaps the page on Resistance and Resilience http://www.oxfordfloodalliance.org.uk/page14.html
If you think we can help in any way do get in touch.
Our very best wishes, from us all in Oxford.
Peter Rawcliffe, on behalf of the Oxford Flood Alliance Annual Public
Meeting
Hello I just
wanted to e.mail and say that I have seen and heard the terrible new
about the floods that have hit Cockermouth. As a Cumbrian-born lad my
thoughts and prayers are with all the people of Cockermouth and I just
hope that the floods soon subside and you can begin to clear up. We
in Sheffield were hit with floods last year and so I know just how long
it takes to rebuild normal life following such a devastating event.I
would be happy to offer whatever help I can – now and in the future.If
there is anything I can do as a volunteer I would be happy to give up
my time to whatever needs to be done. Meanwhile I pray that the floods
soon subside and that no more life is lost. Hugh Tollyfield, 0114 2306916.
*Just a few lines
of support , from, fellow suffers ,
We had our own flood down here in Grimsby two years ago ,our thoughts
are with you .
There will be laughter , there will be tears but we know you will come
through this .
All our love
Frank & Jane Reynolds
I'm the secretary of Regency ReJigged, one of the performance dance
teams who came to the Georgian Fair in 2008 and are hoping to come again
next year.
*We just wanted to offer you all in Cockermouth and the region our sympathy
in the bad times you're having at the moment. We enjoyed being part
of the Fair so much - it was the first performance for the group - and
are thinking of you and trusting that the community spirit we saw when
we came will help to get you through.
With very best wishes
Rebecca Richardson
*Just sending our best wishes to all the residents of Cockermouth.
Hope everyone get's back on their feet soon!
from Dave & Jenny Porter,
Perth, Western Australia.
*Hello,
We are David & Natalia, a couple in Bournemouth, we're so sad to
hear of the floods in your town and wonder if there is anything we can
do to help.
Unfortunately we are not wealthy but we do have a safe and dry place
here in the lovely county of Dorset not far form the sea.
All we can offer is a rent free bedroom in our flat big enough for 2
from now for the next month, at least until .
Maybe there is a couple that have been made homeless temporarily that
would like to get away for a month while their place is being repaired
or they find somewhere else to live and don't mind spending Christmas
somewhere else ?
Good luck to all of you.
Natalia & David Stacy . davidstacyabc@hotmail.com
Tewkesbury in North
Gloucestershire suffered the worse flooding in living
memory in 2007, our home and the home of many many more were flooded,
its
was a very difficult year but it brought out the best in people and brought
the community together.You will all be in our thoughts.
Jane Sircombe
Hi,
First of all, can I offer my sympathy for the plight in which you all
find yourselves. I live in an area of Oxford that has become increasingly
flood-prone in recent years and my house has been flooded three times
since 2000.
I'd like to offer a little advice, based on our experiences down here.
Try to get everyone together to attempt to ensure that all resiedents
get similar advice advice and treatment from their insurers and loss-adjusters
(who might not get to everyone straight away - I had to wait for over
two weeks due to sheer numbers of flood victims in 2007). All of the 36
houses in my street here were flooded, but the advice and assistance given
varied wildly. I was lucky, but there were several horror stories, including
a disabled neighbour whose house was completely gutted by the builders
appointed by her insurers, who then started to argue about the cost of
re-instatement.
DO NOT give builders and insurers a free hand. Builders will use inappropriate
materials, ie those that they are familiar with, as opposed to materials
that will survive further inundation.
Watch out for cowboys!
Local council(s) should appoint someone to co-ordinate the removal of
flood-soiled goods once they've been inspected by loss-adjusters. They
should also provide the means to dispose of the recyclable material that
will be removed from your houses during drying-out and re-instatement,
rather than allowing each builder to fill up their own skip. This street
was full of sofas, carpets, fridges, washing-machines, followed by skips,
vans, etc etc for months. It was like a war zone for longer than it needed
to have been.
You can read more about my experiences here:
http://www.floodforum.org.uk/files/Case%20Study%204%20Oxford%20_2_.pdf
and quite a few other stories and advice can be found on the same site.
You can also see what we've been up to since we were flooded, here:
www.oxfordfloodalliance.org.uk
As you can see, there are a lot of other groups, too. I'm sure residents
will find it useful to form their/your own group as soon as they/you get
a chance to draw breath. If you'd like to chat about any of this, please
call me on 01865 245077 or 07802 254108 or reply to this email.
Keep your chins up; we're all thinking about you.
With every kind wish,
Nick Hills
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We have been
approached by advertisers seeking to inform people via the web of their
services at this time. We have charged a £25 fee and we list them
below as purely commercial offers and they do not carry any endorsement
by ourselves.
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Contact:Mrs Claire Harrison
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Call
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Please call fro free no obligation quote. Insurance work undertaken.
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Mobile Communications for disaster recovery
Loss
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Repair
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reshaping and stabilising with cement for a hard
wearing finish. Office: 01748 850158
Mobile: 07767763662
1st
Caravan Hire
Caravan
Rentals
Volunteers
If you’d like to volunteer to help
with the flood recovery operation
send an email to
flood.volunteers@cumbriacc.gov.uk
Or telephone 01228 606060.
Business
Cluster site
with help and business support.
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