Flood-hit Lake District farmer's dredging plea after sheep deaths

Flooding last week at Borrowdale swamped vehicles

A Lake District sheep farmer who lost 58 animals in flash flooding has called for a local river to be dredged to avoid a repeat of the incident.

Heavy rain in Borrowdale on Friday saw fields swamped, roads blocked and the River Derwent rise by 1.5 metres (5ft) in four hours.

Dan Simpson, who farms at Seatoller, was left "heartbroken" by the death of his lambs.

The Environment Agency said it would meet with residents to devise a plan.

Mr Simpson said: "Part of the solution would be to dredge those areas. It needs to be looked at by experts and locals need to be involved.

"The amount of rain we get, it can't be stored up on the valley. It needs to be on the flood plains down by the lake and those people should be compensated for having the water on their land.

"If people know the rain is going to be that heavy we should get a warning and then we can move the sheep."

Dan Simpson is calling for action to prevent a repeat of the flooding

Stewart Mounsey, the Environment Agency's flood risk manager for Cumbria, said it would be meeting with residents in the next week in an effort to understand the cause of the flooding.

"A lot of people are talking about dredging. Let's have a look at that as a solution in terms of the catchments and let's have a community conversation with the land owners, The Rivers Trust and other public bodies."

Hotelier Nigel Dixon, of Seatoller House at the foot of Honister Pass last week described the flooding as "unreal".

He added: "I witnessed sheep just basically being swept away and farmers just helpless, they couldn't do a thing, they couldn't help."