Body found in River Kent in Kendal after man fell in water
- Published
Storm Desmond brought more than a month's worth of rain in just 24 hours, including to the River Kent, in to which the man is understood to have fallen
A body has been found by search teams looking for man who fell into a river as Storm Desmond battered Cumbria.
Emergency services were alerted to a possible sighting of an elderly man going into the River Kent, at Staveley Road in Kendal, at 10:00 GMT on Sunday.
Cumbria Police said a body had now been recovered from a tributary of the river, and formal identification would take place in due course.
More than 2,000 homes and businesses in the county were flooded by the storm.
The Environment Agency said more than a month's average rainfall was recorded in 24 hours on Saturday.
Follow the latest updates on the weather and flooding on our live page.
Cumbria had record UK rainfall
350 military personnel in North West to help with aftermath
341.4mm
(13.44in) of rain fell in Honister in the 24 hours from 18:30 on Friday
316.4mm
(12.46in) was the previous record, at Seathwaite, on 19 November 2009
-
6.2m (20.3ft) was the water level of the River Eden on Saturday
-
4.85m (15.9ft) was the previous record
-
5.32m (17.5ft) was recorded at the River Greta in Keswick, compared with a previous high of 4.66m (15.3ft)
The government has a plan to build 1,400 new flood defence schemes, external, protecting 300,000 homes. The investment is worth £2.3 billion.
Flood damage in England costs £1.1bn a year
5.2 million
properties at risk of flooding. That's around one in six.
-
£2.3bn is being spent on tackling the threat of floods.
-
1,400 new flood defence schemes are in the pipeline.
Councils are also sharing £26 million as Lead Local Flood Authorities, which they are expected to use to prepare for and manage the risk of flooding.
Kent County Council gets the largest share of this, £256,000 this year. Cumbria, where Storm Desmond has caused huge damage, had £158,000 and does not feature in the top 10, although Lancashire does.
Councils share flood funding
- Published6 December 2015
