Police deal with 30 flooding incidents. Homes evacuated in Carlisle and 17 flood warnings in place

Police in Cumbria dealt with over thirty separate incidents of highway flooding overnight, with many of the roads in the county being affected by surface water.

At 9:40 pm last night (Monday 24th September) a Ford Ka, driven by a woman aged 24, was involved in road traffic collision. No other vehicles were involved and she was transported to Carlisle Infirmary with minor injuries.

Lanes were closed on the M6 northbound just north of junction 41 due to standing water. One lane remained open to allow traffic to pass with care. Advice continues to motorists to take care this morning when driving and be aware of difficult roads conditions and poor visibility.

Flood waters affected South Carlisle overnight, with Durbar and Dalston being affected. Several houses were evacuated in Morton and Upperby. With rain expected to continue today, people are advised to check the Environment Agency website for any flood warnings and listen to the local radio station for any advice.

Some pupils at Appleby Grammar School were sent home following flood warnings for the River Eden at The Sands pictured at  9-40am Schools across the region were also closing. The Met office issued weather warnings for the county and Southern Scotland. They predict up to 10cm of rain in the next 24 hours along with gale force winds.Southern Cumbria has  been given an amber warning, Dumfries and Galloway and north Cumbria have been issued the slightly lower yellow warning.

The Environment Agency has issued 17 flood warnings, where flooding is expected, in the north-west of England. They included the rivers Eden and Caldew in Carlisle and the Agency said flood gates in the city had been shut.
One lane of the M6 northbound was closed because of flooding from Junction 41 Catterlen to Junction 42 Carlisle south.

The Met Office says that in Northern England and South east Scotland the heavy rain will be joined by strong winds which are expected to increase to gale force with gusts up to severe gale force, particularly over high ground. High winds are likely to cause debris to fall from trees which could block watercourses and drains.
The Environment Agency has teams on stand by to check on flood defences, clear river blockages and monitor river levels.

Cumbria police are urging all motorists to take extra care as driving conditions have deteriorated following a continued period of rain. Due to the amount of standing water that is currently on roads across the county police are urging motorists to take care and reduce their speed.

There are flood warnings in place that apply to all areas of county and in view of continued rain that is expected, there is likely to be surface water on most roads in Cumbria with the potential for minor flooding.

Motorists are asked to slow down, take extra care and be particularly aware of motorcycles around them. Bikers are urged to be particularly careful when rounding bends and avoid travelling at high speeds.

The public are urged to check the Environment Agency website for the latest information on flooding: www.environment-agency.gov.uk/flood.

Picture by Katie Chesworth