WESTMORLAND and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron has called on insurers to do all they can to use local builders and tradespeople in the wake of December's floods.

Mr Farron says that many insurance companies are involved in flood repairs in South Lakeland and beyond, yet it is common for building contractors and tradespeople from outside the area to be brought in to complete the work.

The MP has written to insurance companies and the Association of British Insurers to ask them to give first consideration to local firms, to help boost the economy.

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"The floods in December were devastating for our area," he said. "However, we now need to make sure that the local area benefits as much as possible from the task of rebuilding everything that was damaged, and insurance companies have a role to play in this.

"I am calling on insurance companies to do everything they can to try to use local builders and tradespeople, rather than bringing them in from outside, so that the local economy as a whole can benefit from the work that is undertaken."