HEAVY rain dumped on Cumbria by Storm Frank is beginning to cause problems.

There are reports of houses and businesses flooding in Grasmere where the river has burst its banks.

The Westmorland Gazette:

Grasmere. Picture by Sarah Hodgson

The water has now receeded, but one shop owner said conditions were nearly disasterous. 

Roger Halliday, who runs the Grasmere Weavers business on Stock Lane, said: "We came close to disaster but got away with it. 

"There was a bit of water but it's drying out now."

The Cumbria Cafe and Restaurant nearby has also closed for the day due to the threat of flooding and Grasmere Primary School's car park is currently underwater.

Elsewhere, the A590 at Lindal is also flooding while the car ferry on Bowness is not operating because of strong winds. 

Police said the A592 at Ullswater is closed at the junction of the A5091 due to flooding and vehicles stranded.

The Met Office has issued an amber warning for heavy rainfall which is valid for Cumbria until 3pm.

 

The main areas of concern are Appleby, Glenridding, Keswick, Braithwaite, Cockermouth, Egremont and Flimby. 

A multi-agency Strategic Command Group meeting was held yesterday morning to assess and co-ordinate preventative work. Community groups for those areas of concern are being contacted with the latest advice.

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This extended spell of adverse conditions from Storm Frank is not expected to cause disruption on a scale similar to Storm Desmond in early December.

The Environment Agency says river levels have continued to return to more normal winter levels over the last few days but the latest forecasts are indicating that further heavy prolonged rainfall accompanied by strong winds is likely to return over Cumbria from the early hours of Wednesday onwards.

An EA spokesman said: "Once again the high fells are forecast to catch the largest totals but heavy and persistent rainfall is to be expected throughout the county and given the ongoing sensitivities of both the land and rivers to additional rainfall there is a likelihood of some renewed impacts being realised from either river and/or surface water flooding."

The EA expects to be re-issuing flood alerts covering all the river catchments in Cumbria later today and some lower level flood warnings can be expected from the early hours of tomorrow morning. It is anticipated that with the already saturated ground, plus high lake and reservoir levels, some watercourses will rise quickly. 

EA staff are monitoring the situation 24/7 with an incident room in Penrith open throughout the period. They and other responding organisations will be out on the ground clearing debris screens and operating defences if required.

All EA defences have been inspected following the earlier severe flooding this December and are all in working order. 

But there is a warning that as a result of previous storm and flood damage, together with the debris affecting many watercourses and drainage systems throughout the county, there could be instances of flooding to some areas earlier than anticipated.  

Keep up-to-date with the weather at www.metoffice.gov.uk and the latest flood situation at www.gov.uk/check-if-youre-at-risk-of-flooding or follow @EnvAgency and #floodaware on Twitter for the latest updates.
For updates on which roads and bridges are closed please visit www.cumbria.gov.uk/floods2015/roadclosures.asp

Keep up to date with the latest situation on the roads at www.bbc.co.uk/travel/cumbria/incidents/road 

Should your property be affected by a flood please be extremely careful and do not touch any electrical equipment or power cables. To report a power cut or damage to the power network contact Electricity North West on 0800 195 4141, follow @ElectricityNW or visit www.electricitynorthwest.co.uk