Collapse fears for flood-hit Cockermouth Castle

Cockermouth Castle, in Cumbria, is in danger of collapsing and crumbling into the River Derwent below.

Built by the Normans, using stones from a nearby Roman Settlement, the Grade-I listed building has been undermined by the December floods.

The extreme rainfall has triggered a landslide and washed away soil and rocks from the very foundations of the castle.

Architect Darren Ward, from the Cockermouth Civic Trust, said the castle's importance to the town could not be overestimated