Months of work ahead for pet charity after flood

Oak Tree said its drains had taken a "real hit" in flash flooding last week

An animal charity said it has months of work ahead to fix its drainage system after flash flooding hit its shelter.

Oak Tree Animals' Charity in Wetheral, near Carlisle, had to move out about 20 cats and dogs after heavy rainfall last Saturday.

As the clean-up operation begins, staff are finding out the extent of the damage and what needs to be done to prevent it happening again.

"Our drainage system has taken a real hit, it's full of all the sediment, so having to repair that is the big challenge," said Matt Notter, CEO at the charity.

One of the kennel blocks will have to remain closed for the foreseeable future, but Mr Notter said all the animals in their care were safe, with some having moved to different dry spaces and others placed in foster homes or taken home by staff.

He said: "We're surviving, we're managing, but I'd say the big impact is we've had to stop and delay some of the intake of some of the animals - so people waiting to bring animals in that need our help."

Oak Tree finds new owners for cats and dogs who need rehoming

He added other charities had reached out to support the shelter, but he was disappointed to have to slow down on new arrivals.

"We are finding as many ways as we can to overcome that.

"We're looking for more and more foster carers if anyone is interested in applying - that's a big help right now."

An online appeal raised more than £24,000 in just three days, with cash donations and items also being handed by the community.

"We don't know the grand total yet, but it's a lot and we're obviously very grateful," Mr Notter said.

"It won't cover all of the damage, [which] is more than that value once you start having to dig up things to fix drains.

"It starts to rack up very quickly."

He added the shelter was hoping to receive support from a drainage or construction company to lend machinery or their expertise.

In the meantime, he said the prospect of another flood was his main concern.

"We're worried about anything happening overnight at the moment.

"The animals are all in a place that didn't flood so we should be fine, but we're still worrying."