The Government has published a long-term action plan to reduce flood risk from source to sea in Cumbria setting out the first steps towards developing an integrated catchment plan for Cumbria.

The Cumbria Flood Action Plan sets out the short-term actions aimed at protecting 4,300 homes in the region better protected, as well as the long-term actions that will see local organisations and communities working in partnership to develop better ways of managing rivers and the land.

The Government has already invested over £150m in Cumbria through repairs to infrastructure, direct payments to flooded households and business, removing debris and gravel and funding to match the generosity shown in charity appeals.

The new plan shows how Government along with others will continue to boost Cumbria’s resilience to flooding by:

• Better protecting at least 4,300 Cumbrian homes from flooding using up to £72 million of government funding – £4m more than previously announced.
• Restoring 350 hectares of peatland to hold water upstream for longer at several sites around the Eden, Derwent and Kent/Leven catchments.
• Working with United Utilities to explore changing the way local reservoirs are managed to provide more storage during the winter.
• Working with 4 small communities to agree how the way the land managed above the villages can be changed to reduce risk to residents, whilst also maintaining benefits for farmers and landowners.
• Making sure that all future planning permission granted in Cumbria takes account of lessons learnt from Storm Desmond.
• Considering how flood risk can be reduced along the 3 catchments most severely impacted by Storm Desmond – the Eden, Derwent and Kent & Leven. Measures will include tree planting and restoring river bends as well as more traditional engineering solutions such as flood walls in towns.

The Government said the plan strikes a balance between investments in flood defences and other Government investments in the environment, farming and water quality.

Floods Minister Rory Stewart said:

“This plan is what Cumbria needs to help protect its businesses, people and infrastructure from flooding – now and over the longer term. This is largely thanks to the incredible spirit of the Cumbrian people, with local groups, local authorities, the Environment Agency and landowners all working with us to find the best answers for every area.”

“The government has committed up to £72 million to protect Cumbria from flooding and this plan uses local expertise to identify where that money will be best spent to benefit communities, by re-examining river systems from source to sea.”

The Minister also confirmed that affordable flood insurance had been provided for households across Cumbria through FloodRe, the not-for-profit scheme scheme  funded by insurers.

Introducing the plan, Rory Stewart said that by the time the actions set out in the plan are completed, it should be possible to analyse all the ways in which a flood can be controlled, including:

• holding water back on the hills, through tree-plantingand bogs;
• working closely with water companies (to use their reservoirs) and with farmers in their fields.;
• slowing water down in some places, through weirs;
• speeding the flow of water up in some places – such as under bridges - through dredging.

The actions would all have to be ultimately connected to individual houses, flood walls and pumping systems.  The plan includes making changes to the way that United Utilities operates its Thirlmere reservoir to provide flood protection without compromising the security of water supply for its customers.

Environment Agency Flood Risk Manager Andy Brown added that the action plan represented a step change in the way flood risk is managed in Cumbria, putting local communities at the heart of the process and working with organisations to reduce flood risk along the length of Cumbrian river catchments, from the Fells to the coast.

Click here to download Reducing flood risk from source to sea