New £12m Lancaster flood defences 'vital' to homes and businesses

Storm Desmond caused devastation across Lancaster and Cumbria

New £12m flood defences in Lancaster are "vitally important" to protect homes and businesses in the area, the council leader has said.

A major flood risk management scheme on the River Lune, designed to protect hundreds of properties from the risk of flooding, was completed in December.

The work followed severe flooding in December 2015 during Storm Desmond, which battered the North West.

There have also been improvements to a cycle path and recreation facilities.

Storm Desmond caused devastation across Lancaster and Cumbria, leaving 68,000 people without power when an electricity substation flooded.

Lancaster City Council has built new flood walls and made improvements to existing ones

A month's worth of rain fell in the region in just 24 hours.

The government later pledged £170m across England to better protect homes, businesses and jobs, with £12.1m being allocated to Lancaster.

Working in partnership with the Environment Agency, the city council has built new flood walls and made improvements to the existing ones, as well as significant improvements to surface water flooding in the area.

Councillor Caroline Jackson said it was "a vitally important scheme that aims to address the unacceptably high level of flood risk immediately upstream of Lancaster city centre between Halton Weir and Skerton Bridge".

She added: "With the construction of these new flood defences our ambition is to protect one of Lancaster's most important commercial areas, as well as homes and businesses, from river flooding for many years to come."