Last updated at 18:31, Thursday, 06 May 2010
 

THE Environment Agency has moved to reassure Cockermouth residents that defending the town ahead of any future floods is a top priority.

Over the summer the government agency will carry out a £100,000 feasibility study that will take months to conduct.

The study will establish the current level of flood protection in the town and determine if a full flood alleviation scheme can be justified based on technical and environmental grounds.

An agency spokesman said: “We will need to await the outcome of this study before we can say with any certainty what options we will have to help reduce flood risk in the town.

“At this stage we don’t know how long the feasibility study will take until we start it, due to the potential scope of the works involved.

“The study is expected to take a matter of months, not years, and we will be progressing it as quickly as we can.”

Plans to defend the town will not be drawn up until after the feasibility study has been completed, and it is not yet known what areas of the town the Environment Agency will look to defend.

Allerdale councillor Margaret Jackson, who represents Christ Church ward, said: “I do not believe that this area is being taken seriously.

“We need flood defences because our whole town was devastated last time and it would be awful to happen again.”

“God forbid we have anything like the devastating floods of last year again.

“I am sincerely worried for the Gote area of the town, which is constantly being flooded.

“We need the provisions in place now to stop this ever happening.

Keith Fitton, 59, who was flooded out of his Waterloo Street home in November, said: “The floods we experienced were unbelievable and the Environment Agency need to be imaginative and try to alleviate our problems or they could end up alienating the people of Cockermouth.

“We need to work together here to safeguard our future.”

Work on a £20m environmental and flood alleviation scheme for Keswick is set to get under way next week.

United Utilities has earmarked the cash for work on projects over the next two years and site investigations will begin in the town centre.

It is designed to improve the quality of the water in Bassenthwaite Lake, boost the sewer network and alleviate flooding in the Elliot Park area.

First published at 18:16, Thursday, 06 May 2010
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk