Last updated at 13:57, Friday, 27 November 2009

Hundreds of sheep, centuries-old dry stone walls and miles of fencing and hedges were washed away in the floods.

Many farmers are still unable to reach their stock across flooded fields. The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has warned them not to take risks.

Tractors, trailers and other farm equipment was written-off in the torrent and thousands of acres of prime farmland is strewn with gravel and silt dumped by the water.

Early estimates from the NFU suggest farmers in west Cumbria face a £3 million clean-up bill.

Fields of valuable crops like barley are buried under several feet of gravel and silt and farmers are likely to have to pay for the clean-up, according to David Jones, west Cumbria’s NFU group secretary.

He said: “Field boundaries have just disappeared, there’s a massive amount involved in putting this back together.

“Old stone walls have gone, particularly in the Borrowdale and Lorton valleys. They’re not just any old stone walls, they’ve been there for hundreds of years.

“Hay meadows have been decimated, which is another big problem for farmers. We’ve been told it’s up to farmers to clean up what the river has dumped because it’s effectively natural fly tipping.”

George Simpson, of Burnside Caravan Park, fought for hours to get his sheep to higher ground around Keswick.

Eventually, he secured them in Crosthwaite Churchyard overnight but two ewes have since died from poisoning after nibbling on yew trees.

Mr Simpson lost five sheep and £1,000 of silage bales which have come to rest on railway embankments along the valley.

He said: “I was trying to round up the sheep and a rescue helicopter, thinking I was in trouble, came overhead and scattered them all. He was trying to help.”

Farmers won’t get any compensation for sheep lost in the floods because insurance companies won’t cover such losses, viewed as an ‘act of God’.

• Farmer Andrew Nicholson responded to a cry for help from his neighbour.

Phil Pledger realised he and his wife couldn’t get out of their flooded Low Lorton home because the torrent outside his front door was so strong.

In desperation, he called the local farmer pleading that he come as quickly as possible to rescue them.

Mr Nicholson, of Swinside End Farm, High Lorton, struggled to Mr Pledger’s house on his tractor and braved the water to rescue the couple and their dog.

Mr Nicholson said: “The River Cocker was running along the road. I drove up to the house and waded in – I was up to my neck. Their house was flooded last October and they’ve only just finished getting it fixed.”

Low Lorton Bridge eventually collapsed under the weight of water, leaving Mr Nicholson cut off from his cattle and 1,000 sheep. A journey of a few minutes to feed his livestock had turned into a daily 20-mile round trip.

Mr Nicholson has no grazing land on the same side of the river as his farmhouse and so cannot move all of the animals.

He added: “There are lots of problems with housing the animals. The slurry will build up and we won’t be able to spread it. It will cost much more to feed all the animals.

“This is such an important time when the ewes are getting in lamb and they should not be stressed.”

Eighty of his 500 acres of farmland was flooded and about half of that is still under water and much of it contaminated.

Mr Nicholson’s decision to move his livestock to higher land last Wednesday undoubtedly saved much of the flock and he only lost two sheep.

Now he wants to know what to do with the tonnes of gravel left behind on his land.

The farm also runs a B&B and many people booked to visit in the coming months have rung to cancel.

“Lots of farmers with accommodation are finding the same. People think Cumbria is closed.”

First published at 10:38, Friday, 27 November 2009
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk