Mopping up after heavy rain

By Nick Griffiths and Safira Ali

Last updated 11:50, Saturday, 11 October 2008

PARTS of north Cumbria were mopping up yesterday after heavy rain hit the county.

High water: River Ehen at Bridge End, Egremont

Firefighters had to rescue a woman who drove her car into this floodwater just after 12pm at Westlinton.

And the fields in the surrounding area were also swamped with water.

The boiler house at Richmond Hill Primary School in Aspatria was also flooded, but it did not disrupt lessons as the mild weather left the school warm enough for the children.

Firemen in west Cumbria spent much of the day battling against the floods after the River Ehen burst its banks.

A crew in Frizington were called out to rescue an elderly couple who were trapped in the upstairs of their home in Ennerdale, near Cleator.

Fire crews said a couple who live at The Mill had to be persuaded to leave after they refused to leave their property.

A spokesman at Copeland Council said they had been working all through Thursday night and yesterday to deliver thousands of sandbags to homes in Copeland’s worst hit areas.

The first calls came from Egremont, Red Lonning and Whinlatter Road in Whitehaven.

Environment Agency chiefs say parts of Egremont were among the worst affected, and several homes were swamped during the night in Whitehaven and Dearham.

Several residents had to flee their homes as the rainwater poured in, leaving a trail of misery.

In Egremont, the worst affected areas were Bleach Green, Wood Bank, Ennerdale Mill, Springfield Road and the Vale View, all areas hit hard by unusually heavy localised overnight downpours.