A Cumbrian MP joined farmers and residents to celebrate the success of a project to rejuvenate the River Winster.
MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale Tim Farron came together with the Lynster Farmers group and Grange Golf Club to mark the conclusion of works undertaken as part of the River Winster Rehabilitation Programme.
Mr Farron said: “Thanks to the work that they led and that we helped to make happen working with the Environment Agency, Natural England, Network Rail, and Westmorland and Furness Council, the Winster channel into the sands has now been cleared, which means that the river now flows properly, and that the land around it is draining far better and flooding is reduced.
“This is a really big win, and I'm massively grateful to everyone involved.”
The project began in June after three years of campaigning from the Lynster Farmers Group (LFG) resulted in a Marine Licence to work on the River Winster, reducing the potential flood risk when there is heavy rainfall.
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Contractors worked for 36 days on the river, which flows from the south of Windermere towards the Kent Estuary, excavating a pilot channel to allow the river to flow naturally again.
The report granting the LFG the Marine License said: "The challenge of the River Winster was 25 years of unnecessary anxiety and fear for thousands of local people, three years of concerted effort by the Lynster Farmers Group and Westmorland and Furness Council, then 36 days of action by great local contractors."
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