Floods Cause Travel Chaos

• News
• Published: 26 Nov 2009 in Motoring and Car Insurance

Wet weather may be on its way out of rain-battered Cumbria, but motorists throughout the county face months of travel chaos as another bridge was rendered unusable by the floods.

Although only one flood warning remains in force and residents can turn to their insurers to start the daunting task of cleaning up hundreds of damaged homes, an eighth bridge was given up for lost by engineers.

Calva bridge in Workington links the north and south sides of town, but started subsiding when heavy rain poured down on Cumbria and rivers burst banks.

Jim Smith, Cumbria County Council's head area engineer, said: "My money would be on the fact that this bridge will either collapse or need to be demolished."

Drivers have been forced to take huge detours to get to their destination as bridges and roads were overwhelmed by water.

>Prime Minister Gordon Brown told MPs in the House of Commons the Government would do everything it could to help people affected by flooding in the Lake District.

He said a temporary bridge could be built to help travellers and said it was a "terrible time" for residents with ruined homes.