Storm Desmond: Cumbria flooding appeal tops £1m

The appeal will help flood victims with cleaning, clothing and basic furniture

An online appeal set up to help those affected by flooding in Cumbria has topped the £1m mark.

The Cumbria 2015 Flood Appeal, launched on 5 December, has now reached a third of its £3m target to help flood victims.

Thousands of homes and business were hit when the county was battered by Storm Desmond last weekend.

In Keswick, 100 soldiers from 2nd Battalion Duke of Lancaster's Regiment are to help with the clear-up effort.

A second clean-up is continuing in Glenridding after heavy rain brought more flooding and misery to the village on Thursday, just four days after it was devastated by the storm last weekend.

Police, fire crews and mountain rescue teams helped residents in Glenridding after the beck burst its banks

Tonnes of rubble that had already been dredged out was washed back into the beck forcing water back into homes and businesses and the already weary recovery teams back into action.

Volunteer Carl Scrivens, said: "I've gone beyond it. I don't know what day of the week it is and I'm getting tired.

"If this was dredged out thoroughly, this event wouldn't have happened, the material would have got away. Yes we would have had a blocked beck, but we could have coped with it."

Keith Roddy from the Environment Agency, said: "Our team do routinely monitor levels, when it reaches a certain point they then mobilise a dredging exercise, it has been done a number of times over recent years, and obviously after something on the scale of this, it needs to be done again."

Cumbria Police said the A591 remains closed between Grasmere and Keswick and is likely to be for "some time"

Latest updates on the flooding and other news in Cumbria.

Carlisle remains divided while Eden Bridge, which links the north of the city with other areas, has yet to be inspected by divers.

Tesco has announced it will build a temporary store in the next week to replace its flooded Carlisle superstore.

People living on Warwick Road in the city have been supported by the Salvation Army.

Major Dawn Sellers said: "Just by coming here, by offering a smile, a cup of coffee, a cup of tea and a bacon sandwich, if that's just a little bit that we can do just to try and help people to carry on the awful work they are having to do, then I'm happy to do it."

A car was marooned between two landslides near Thirlmere

Elsewhere in the county, 15 road bridges remain closed until engineers have inspected them for flood damage.

Cumbria County Council said drop-in centres were open in Keswick, Cockermouth, Carlisle and Appleby, and one was to open in Kendal on Saturday.

Storm Desmond: Your questions answered

The Cumbria Community Foundation has pledged £50,000 to the £3m target which will be used to help flood victims with cleaning, emergency repairs, clothing, food and basic furniture.

The county declared a major incident over the weekend

The emergency services, military personnel and mountain rescue teams, have worked to provide aid to thousands of residents.

Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Darren Martland, chairman of a group of organisations dealing with the flood aftermath, said: "I am proud of the work that all the agencies involved in this response have conducted during the extreme conditions.

"The response was excellent in ensuring that as many people were kept safe and reassured as possible.

A group set up to respond to the floods has now entered recovery stage

"The men and women worked very long hours in extreme circumstances and every single one of them did so with the safety of the public as their first priority."

The Met Office has issued a warning of further rain and possibly snow on Saturday.

Live flood warnings from the Environment Agency and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency

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