THE Government has announced its plan to postpone the closure of the drainage pumps in the Lyth Valley indefinitely.

This comes following a delay to the establishment of the Independent Drainage Board (IDB) - which would be run by local farmers - due to the necessity to amend the 1991 Drainage Act for the plans to go ahead.

The pumps are an essential part of ensuring that the landscape remains usable and safe from flood threats.

County councillor for the Lyth Valley Jim Bland said: "This has come as a relief to the people who live here. Without a drainage system in place we would be completely snookered.

"It is vital for the farmers. After Storm Desmond we needed extra pumps sending in, and it still took three to four weeks to clear all the water.

"Without some sort of drainage, the system here just wouldn't work."

South Lakes MP Tim Farron has called for the pumps to be kept open permanently, so that farmers do not have to fund the drainage system themselves, as they would with an IDB.

The MP has written to the DEFRA secretary Michael Gove asking him to finally withdraw the threat to shut the drainage pumps in the Lyth Valley.

Mr Farron said: "The postponement of the closure of the pumps is welcomed but the threat of closure in the near future still remains.

"The Lyth Valley drainage pumps are key to protecting both local farms and the A590 which is one of the county’s most vital transport links.

"The pumps have been under threat from the government for a decade now, and for the peace of mind of local residents and farmers, it’s time for the Government to back down and announce that the pumps will remain operational for good."

Cllr Bland did not see this as an option that was available to the people in the area however.

He said: "The IDB would cost the farmers here over £100,000 a year. Of course if the environment agency was to take that cost, we would like that.

"But we were not given that option. We were given the option of having the pumps close, or setting up an independent board to manage them.

"Whether or not we get the pumps is based on how much property is in the area. There are not many properties in the Lyth Valley.

"An Independent Drainage Board might to a better job of maintenance anyway. The Environment Agency have been cutting maintenance, and they system only works if it is maintained properly."

Landowners in the Lyth Valley were originally told that the pumps, which help prevent thousands of acres of land from flooding, would close in 2012.

This is the latest of many delays to the project.