Floods prompt village help for stranded neighbours

Resident Lillian Berry said the community spirit in the village had been fantastic

Flooded roads sparked a community rally-round to help stranded neighbours get where they needed to be.

Cumbria saw heavy rain on Tuesday, including at Ulpha village in the Duddon Valley, leaving trains cancelled and many roads impassable.

Resident Lillian Berry, who helps manage the community WhatsApp group, said this week's flooding had been "pretty horrendous".

There had been "major panic" with people saying "it's up to my wellies, it's beyond my wellies", she said.

The A595, which is one of the main routes through the valley, was submerged at Duddon Bridge.

Ms Berry said the school bus could not get through and the bin lorry could not get out.

The River Duddon's banks overtopped on Tuesday

Another resident said her daughter had come home to relax before some important exams in London when she became stranded.

After a plea on the WhatsApp group, a man living nearby who had a large car offered to traverse the flood waters and drive her to one of the only stations where trains were still running.

"She's been revising for years and she came home to be looked after by her mummy and she got stuck here," her mother said.

"It was very stressful. She was having kittens."

On top of the flooded roads, a train that is thought to have been derailed by a landslip meant very few services were running in the area.

But Ms Berry said the community spirit had been fantastic.

"Farmers will come out in hail, rain and snow to help people who are stranded," she said.