Flooded roads spark exam dash escapade

Jill Kumarendran's daughter needed to get back to London for her anaesthetist exam

Flooded roads sparked a community rally-round when a medic needed to get back to London for an important exam.

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

Jill Kumarendran's daughter Mary was home for some relaxation before her anaesthetist exam in London, which she had spent years studying for, when she became stranded.

A plea on a community WhatsApp group ended with a fellow resident using his large car to traverse the flood waters and get her to one of the only stations where trains were still running. She got back and was able to take her exam on Thursday.

"She's been revising for years and she came home to be looked after by her mummy and she got stuck here," Ms Kumarendran told BBC Radio Cumbria.

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

The River Duddon's banks burst on Tuesday

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.

Ms Kumarendran said her neighbour, who drove Mary 23km (14 miles) to Ulverston, was a "mega hero" who had "absolutely saved the day".

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

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.

But she said the community spirit in the area was fantastic.

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