A WOMAN who runs a popular Kendal shop has thanked her customers for their support as she battles problems caused by an overflow pipe leaking onto her premises.

Pandy Grenville-Evans, who operates 'The Kitten and the Goat,' an outlet for knitting supplies on New Shambles, said she has suffered the problems since last Christmas.

She said an ingress of water from a drainpipe which runs along the ceiling at the back of the shop caused damage to hundreds of pounds worth of stock.

The shop also had to close for several days while the damage was cleared up, and since then Mrs Grenville-Evans said the problem has consistently reoccurred.

But she said she had been overwhelmed by the kindness and backing of her customers who have not only given her countless messages of support but had also brought in food for her lunch due to the small kitchen area at the back of the shop being one of the areas worst affected by the flood damage.

"They even moved my little fridge for me to a nearby empty shop as I was worried about the water coming into contact with the electricals," said Mrs Grenville-Evans.

"I'm so grateful to everybody as they have been so kind."

Mrs Pandy-Grenville explained that she was suffering from a number of serious health problems and she was desperate for the issue to be resolved.

Stuart Tolch of agents Peill& Co, who manage the property on behalf of the charity The Chapel Trustees, explained that they had encountered a "legacy of problems" due to the building being around 200 years old.

He said every effort was being made to address the issues and in particular the problems with the overflow pipe.

Mr Tolch added that he had been on contact with neighbouring properties and had been assured of their co-operation, and the agents had made efforts to assist Mrs Grenville-Evans as much as possible by providing alternative premises to store stock and equipment if the leakage reoccurred.