First flooding, now icy roads for Cumbrian motorists
Last updated 16:20, Monday, 27 October 2008
Drivers are being warned to take care over the next 24 hours as temperatures plummet.
- News & Star slideshow: flood and weather photos
- Related: Hundreds of fell runners stranded
- Related: Latest Cumbrian weather forecast
- Video: marathon runners talk about conditions
Freezing temperatures combined with the heavy rain that has fallen in recent days look set to create treacherous conditions on the county’s roads.
Over the weekend a number of routes across the county were closed due to flooding. Most have now re-opened and are passable with care.
However with temperatures set to dip below zero tonight, icy conditions and even snow are expected.
Untreated roads could pose a particular risk to drivers.
Tonight the gritting fleet from Cumbria Highways will be treating all of the 30 priority routes but the amount of rain that has fallen means even on treated roads drivers need to exercise caution as salt may be washed off some areas.
Upwards of two-centimetres of snow is forecast on higher ground, with smaller amounts falling at lower levels.
John Robinson, Cumbria Highways network manager, said: “Although the rain has eased off and routes are now passable with care, there is a considerable volume of water about, which will find its way onto the roads.
“With dropping temperatures and snow on the way, we are expecting extremely tricky driving conditions across the county, particularly in areas where there has been flooding.
“Drivers should take particular care tomorrow morning, especially on untreated roads where we are expecting icy patches.”
Meanwhile, one flood warning is still in place at Keswick Campsite.
A further five flood watch alerts are still in place for:
- rivers Brathay, Rothay and Winster
- rivers Cocker, Marron and Derwent
- rivers Duddon, Crake & Mill Beck
- rivers Lowther and Eamont
- Upper River Derwent, Stonethwaite Beck and Derwent Water
Residents of Waterloo Street in Cockermouth were watching anxiously on Saturday night as the rivers Derwent and Cocker rose.
One house on High Sand Lane had water pouring in to its kitchen.
Nicolette Holmes, with friends, relatives and neighbours, was bailing out as quickly as the water was coming through the walls.
She said: "We were devastated in 2005 by the floods and for this to happen again is heart-breaking but everybody has rallied round to help."
Derwent and Solway workers were delivering sand bags and checking on tenants.
Waterloo Street neighbours Linda Cameron and Jenny Walsh decided to throw a flood party with friends.
Linda said: "There is nothing we can do really. We bought a house next to a river. We knew it was prone to flooding. My garden is under water so we are just waiting."
Waterloo Street residents boarded up railings on the street to try and stop water coming through if the rivers' banks broke near them.
Also in Cockermouth, residents in Gote Road had sandbags outside their homes after the river Derwent burst its banks.
And in Dearham, The Commercial Inn flooded but opened as normal after owner George Brown used two pumps to get water out of his cellar, which is six feet below ground level.
He installed the pumps due to previous problems with flooding and started using them at around 1pm on Saturday when water leaked through the walls.
Meanwhile, a major search resumed yesterday for hundreds of athletes left stranded on the Lake District fells by the storm.
Many sheltered in farms and mines but police said many were still out on the fells.
The runners were taking part in the two-day Original Mountain Marathon when they were overcome by torrential rain, wind and flooding.
The event's emergency planner Chris Biggs said: "What we've got here are some very, very experienced fell-runners who are very, very well-equipped, which is gratifying," he said. "If they've gone up as they should have been equipped then they should be okay."
The race was abandoned at midday on Saturday when it was hit by the worst weather in its history.
Mountain rescue teams were searching for missing fell runners who were taking part in the race near Keswick.
Hundreds of people taking part were stranded in barns and outbuildings on the Borrowdale side of Honister because of flooding in the Borrowdale valley.
Another 100 were stuck on the Buttermere side where a landslide in the area has occurred.
Twelve casualties were taken to hospital.
Honister slate mine owner Mark Weir - who rescued a group of stranded schoolchildren during a storm on Thursday - sheltered about 300 of them.
A number of runners are still on the fells and the Keswick rescue team is looking for them.
Mr Weir has appealed for help transporting the runners from the mine to Cockermouth's Sheep and Wool Centre. His telephone number is 01768 777230.
Read the full story: Hundreds of lakes fell race runners stranded by floods
The Met Office in London had warned that Cumbria should brace itself for more heavy rain and that it would be the wettest place in the north west.
A spokesman said: "Rain will become heavy and persistent across northwest England through Saturday and into Sunday. Generally 30 to 40mm of rain will fall onto already saturated ground, but locally up to 80 mm over high ground."
That follows Friday’s deluge, during which 72mm of rain fell over Shap in just 24 hours and Keswick saw 50mm in the same period.
The Red Raven Weather Station in Lorton Village reported that at least 55mm of rain fell on Thursday.
Honister has seen 40cm - one foot of rain - of rain fall since Thursday, says the Environment Agency.
Click here for the latest Cumbrian weather forecast
The weather has caused chaos across the county.
A Workington boy had a lucky escape on Thursday night when he jumped out of the way of a roof which had been blown off a 50ft stable in the heavy winds.
Jeff Taylor, who owns a carpet and furnishing shop in Workington, had been in his yard with his son James, 11, yesterday calming his three horses down during the severe gales.
He said he watched as the full roof on the 50ft long stable block was ripped off due to the heavy winds.
He had to scream his son’s name to get his attention. Luckily, 11-year-old James jumped to the floor and narrowly missed the flying roof which embedded itself in a nearby tree.
Mr Taylor, of Glenmore, Ullock, Workington, said: “Last night between 4pm and 5pm me and my son James had been down in the yard when the roof came off.
“I was calming the horses down in the yard when we had the bad weather. James had a barrow full of horse muck he was emptying. I saw the roof coming off and I shouted his name. He hit the floor and the roof flew past him.
“He jumped on the floor when he heard me shout. I watched it coming off and twisting in the air. It went in a tree 6ft away from him. It is still stuck in a tree. We can’t get it out of there.
“I kept thinking that my son was nearly killed. My wife was crying but I told her to stop thinking of the worst.
“He was shaking last night and I have had to keep him off school today because he was so distressed.”
Two school coach parties had to be rescued from a remote mountain pass in the Lake District after 80mph winds and torrential rain lashed the area on Thursday.
The teenagers, from Cleveland, were rained off on a geography field lesson so spent the day visiting Honister Slate Mine at the top of one of England's steepest mountain passes - Honister Pass - between Keswick and Buttermere.
As the weather began to worsen, the party left the tourist attraction in coaches only to descend the 1100ft mountain pass in coaches and be blocked by high floodwaters the tiny village road, the B5289.
To make matters worse, the river Derwent running alongside the road broke its banks - making the only road in both direction totally impassible - and flood levels above waist height.
The road was also blocked on the other side of the mountain at Gatescarth, near Buttermere.
Mark Weir, the owner of Honister Slate Mine, pulled together a team of mine staff and used 4x4 mine vehicles to tow the stricken coaches through the high floodwater with all the children safe on board.
He said: "We are used to extreme weather being at the top of a mountain but I have never seen anything like this.
"All the kids loved it, they were filming on their phones and putting it on YouTube and were cheering at the end. They said they are definitely coming back here next year but I said we couldn't guarantee the weather.
"It was like a biblical storm. The wind is so strong that all the rain coming down the mountains in streams is being blowing back uphill."
He added: "The children are all okay and actually it has all been a real adventurous day out for them. They'll certainly remember coming to the Lake District."
Mr Weir usually flies to and from his business in a helicopter but left it at home because of the atrocious weather and flying conditions.
He added: "The only way to get to Honister Slate Mine right now is by speedboat. We are now officially an island at the top of a mountain, but it'll be gone tomorrow, I'm sure."
The weather has led to hundreds of sandbags being issued to areas across Allerdale. A council spokesman said they got them out to people as fast as they could.
In Copeland, council officers were called out to parts of Egremont. A spokeswoman said they had received a flood warning after the River Ehen had over-flowed on Thursday.
Sandbags were dispatched to homes in the area during the afternoon.
The rain also forced the closure of some roads. Police reported widespread flooding in the Mockerkin area on the B5086 road on Thursday. The B5289 from Lodore falls to Rosthwaite was described as almost impassable.
Other areas affected were Ullock, Lorton and the A594 between Dearham and Maryport.
The road outside Netherhall School, in Maryport, was at a standstill during Thursday afternoon due to the weather and the Embleton road near Cockermouth School was also flood hit.
Joan Ellis, school development officer, said they had had a small flood in one of their corridors during the day.
She added that some parents living in rural areas had been to school to pick up children earlier than normal to avoid the flooding.
The minor road between Buttermere and Newlands was also closed due to a landslide.
Buttermere Shepherds' Meet, due to take place tomorrow (Saturday), has been cancelled because of the weather.
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