RESIDENTS who suffered from the devastating January storms in Appleby and Kirkby Stephen should brace themselves for an increase in flooding due to global warming.

Following the worst flooding for more than 30 years a report from the Environment Agency states that winters are becoming wetter and more rain is falling in heavy downpours.

In its report, The Climate is Changing: Time to Get Ready, the EA highlights this year's flooding in Appleby and Kendal and warns that action is needed now both to combat the man-made causes of climate change and to mitigate against their worst effects "Warmer and sunnier summers may seem like something to look forward to. But climate change comes as a package and the good comes with the bad," the report said.

"The worst extremes will be devastating."

Back in January the Messenger reported on how residents had to be rescued from properties in Appleby where waters from the River Eden rose to levels unseen since the disastrous floods of 1974.

The centre of Kirkby Stephen also flooded for the first time in many residents' memory, leaving homes without electricity or running water for several days.

The report says that climate change means that extreme weather events will become more frequent and more dangerous. The severity will depend on the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere from now on.

Over the next 80 years the cost of engineered flood defences to meet the demands of climate change could reach £75bn. Since 1998 the cost of repairing damage from extreme weather events and flooding has increased by 60 per cent.

Cumbria Euro MP Chris Davies claims that climate change cannot be stopped but its damaging effects can be limited.

"We cannot pull back the global warming gases already released but we can limit the temperature increase to just two degrees centigrade if we take action now," he said.

"Most of the technology is already there, and many jobs will be created through measures such as intensive energy saving programmes."

Nine of the ten warmest years on the UK record took place between 1995 and 2004.