Cumbria fears more rain to come

Police and army experts say they're urgently checking the safety of about 1,800 bridges in northern England amid some of the worst storms ever recorded in Britain.

Police said yesterday that concerns over the safety of bridges have crippled the region's road network.

A police officer was swept to his death on Friday when a major bridge collapsed close to Cockermouth, the hardest-hit town.

Military helicopters were scrambled on Friday to winch people from rooftops, while debris floated down the town's flooded main street.

As the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, toured waterlogged Cumbria yesterday, and pledged £1 million ($2.2 million) extra cash to it, four severe flood warnings remained in place, and environment officers worked round the clock to check and repair flood defences, monitor river levels and help to clear water and debris from the streets.

During a two-hour visit to Cockermouth, the Prime Minister witnessed the devastation. Streets were strewn with debris from the floods, with upturned cars coming to rest against trees from the force of the torrents; shop windows were smashed and sludge and silt centimetres deep covered the road.

Brown pledged matched money already offered by the regional development agency. "We will do everything we can to support the local community in its hour of need," he said.

"I have met people in the centre I have just visited showing great community spirit. A community is a thousand acts of kindness and friendship for each other. It is making me very, very proud of this community. The emergency services have worked brilliantly, right across the board."

Earlier, Brown met flooded-out residents taking shelter at the Shepherd's Hotel in Cockermouth.

Ann Burns, 76, who has spent two nights there, said: "He tries, I'll give him that. We all need a bit of a lift. I'm going back to nowt. I was one of the first ones evacuated and taken here. I hardly know what day it is. I'm not bothered; I'm still breathing."

Councillor Jim Buchanan, leader of the county council, said: "We will recover from this terrible situation and the council will make sure that all agencies are in this for the long haul."

Extensive flooding followed a downpour last week which witnessed the highest level of rainfall measured in England since records began, with 314mm falling in 24 hours.

More than 1300 homes were affected by the flooding in Kendal, Ulverston, Keswick, Cockermouth and Workington. Hundreds more homes were still without power last night.

Despite the flood waters dropping, Cockermouth's main street was still under half a metre of water yesterday.

Police said conditions remained too dangerous to allow access. "People are trying to return to the street, believing that it is now open," said a spokesman.

They were hoping to start the massive clean-up operation, but an Environment Agency spokesman warned that walking in standing water was dangerous and buildings might have become unstable because of the pressure of water on the walls.

Tina Fearon, a firefighter stationed in the town, said there had been 500 emergency calls since the flooding began and fire crews had been brought in from Barrow and Carlisle.

"We are in the process of sweeping the town identifying areas to be checked and double-checked, as some people chose to stay in their homes."

- INDEPENDENT, AP