Monday 23 November 2009

Do we have the contingency funds for Cumbrian bridges?

The UK seems to have the contingency funds to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan but do
we have the money for Cumbrian bridges? The scenes of Workington and Cockermouth were
horrendous and flood damage is becoming a big problem for us. We have not helped ourselves by building on flood plains and by piecemeal investment on flood defences.
We have to accept that Cockermouth was in the government's view a one-in-a thousand year event following the heaviest recorded rainfall in England. However, the authorities seem to be behind the curve in this area.
The insurance companies estimate claims of £100m while the new bridges will cost quite a bit.
On the news today the clean-up of Cockermouth's Main Street looked amazing after so much debris. This followed people working through the night. It looks like more of this effort will be required to put the town back on its feet.

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