Tom - Could use picture of gravel removal on River Kent you were showing me to help illustrate this.....

A NEW plan to protect Cumbria from flooding has been published by the government's Environment Department.

The Cumbria Flood Action Plan sets out the short-term actions that will see 4,300 homes in the county better protected, as well as strategies that will see local organisations, communities, farmers, and landowners working together to develop better ways of managing rivers and land.

Government have already invested over £150m in Cumbria through repairs to infrastructure, direct payments to flooded households and business, removing debris and gravel, and funding to match charity appeals.

The plan considers flood risk management along the length of Cumbrian river catchments, looking at what can be done to slow the flow of water upstream – such as temporarily storing flood water in reservoirs, tree planting or changing the way land is managed - as well as downstream actions such as building flood defences or removing gravel

It also includes the government’s commitment to spend £24million on a flood defence scheme in Kendal, Burneside and Staveley. Schemes in Ambleside and Grasmere are also mentioned, but have not been allocated any funding.

The report also lays out ambitions to maintain, repair, and add to existing defence systems; restore 350 hectares of peatland to hold water upstream at several sites; make changes to the operation of United Utilities; and ensure future planning permissions granted in Cumbria heed lessons from Storm Desmond.

Floods Minister Rory Stewart, MP for Penrith and the Border, said: “This plan is what Cumbria needs to help protect its businesses, people and infrastructure from flooding – now and over the longer term. This is largely thanks to the incredible spirit of the Cumbrian people, with local groups, local authorities, the Environment Agency and landowners all working with us to find the best answers for every area.

"The government has committed up to £72 million to protect Cumbria from flooding and this plan uses local expertise to identify where that money will be best spent to benefit communities."

Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron said: "This report is welcome but it's just more words and people in the Lakes have had a lot of that. We now want action, and that needs to be backed up with new cash.

“My challenge to them is this - you have the report, now stump up the cash. No ifs. No buts. Do it.”

National Farmers' Union north west regional director David Hall said it was vital that farmers were included in drawing up plans for protecting against floods.

He said: "We held a number of workshops for farmers across the three priority catchments (Eden, Derwent, Kent & Leven) to find out how they had been affected by the floods and what they felt needed to be done to reduce the impact of flooding in future. This report was then fed directly back into the Cumbria Flood Partnership.

"We will continue to ensure that farmers are involved and included as the plan develops during the implementation stages."

To view the plan visit www.gov.uk and search for ‘Cumbria Flood Action Plan’.