Cumbria floods: engineers carrying out urgent assessment of 1,800 bridges

Cumbria County Council has said there are “severe concerns” over Calva bridge in Workington as engineers battle to assess the safety of thousands of bridges across the county.

Six bridges have already collapse and 36 more were closed on Sunday afternoon.

Collapsed bridges include Northside Bridge and Northside Footbridge in Workington, Lorton bridge near Cockermouth, Newlands Beck Bridge upstream of Braithwaite, Camerton Footbridge and Suspension footbridge over River Eamont near Dalemain.

But following an inspection of the A595 Papcastle bridge, the council has confirm that it is fully open and safe for the public to use.

Calva Bridge in Workington remains closed however, meaning access from the south to the north of Workington can only be made via a long diversion along the A591 at Bothel. Due to the severe disruption on the road network, people are being advised to avoid all non-essential travel in West Cumbria.

There are severe concerns over the structural integrity of Calva Bridge in Workington. It is reported as being extremely unstable and could potentially collapse at any time. If it were to collapse, utilities in the area will be affected.The council has warned the community to have torches, mobile phones, waterproofs, water, radios with batteries, medication and other essential items at hand.

Strong winds were forecast by the Met Office Sunday afternoon, with coastal gusts of  60-65mph predicted from 3pm onwards. Inland, high winds of 50-55mph are also expected. Rain was also expected this afternoon, with 40-50mm predicted on high ground.
 
The council has warned that the public must keep away from any bridges which have been closed and not linger on river banks nearby. Even bridges which remain open should be treated with caution and the public must not use bridges as vantage points.

“There are around 1,800 bridges in Cumbria and they need to be inspected by specialist teams. This will take a considerable time and structural engineers are prioritising their work by looking at those suspected to be at the most risk in the worst affected areas,” it said.

The Police are urging people not to attempt to try any canoeing or outdoor activities on rivers or embankments. Emergency services and mountain rescue teams are still extremely busy dealing with the aftermath of the intense flooding. People are also advised not to attempt to walk on the fells today for the same reason - high winds and further rain are both predicted for this afternoon.
 
River levels have subsided, but severe flood warnings remain in place in four locations:
 
- The River Greta at Keswick, Crosthwaite and Limepots Road, High Hill and Church Lane Areas
- River Cocker at Southwaite Bridge
- River Cocker at Cockermouth
- River Eamont at Eamont Bridge, Kemplay Foot, Skirsgill Lane and Southwaite Green Mill
 
House to house searches in Cockermouth have now been completed by the emergency services. 

Motorists are being urged to be cautious. Trees and other structures could be unstable due to the flooding undermining the soil. The council is urging people to report fallen trees on roads, and also report trees that look unstable and could pose a risk to motorists by ringing Highways Hotline on 0845 609 6609 or by email: contact@cumbriahighways.co.uk 
 
Last night around 60 people continued to shelter in the two main reception centres. Around 40 were in the Sheep and Wool Centre in Cockermouth, and 20 were in the Convention Centre in Keswick.

United Utilities engineers are continuing their efforts to deal with power outages. Currently 786 properties are still without power in the following locations: 
 
522 in Cockermouth

144 in Keswick  

5 in Buttermere 

17 in Stainburn 

14 in Thornthwaite 

25 in Northside 

55 in Windermere 

At the peak of the flooding 5,000 properties were without power. The public have been advised that utilities in the area could still suffer disruption and should have torches, mobile phones, waterproofs, water, radios with batteries, medication and other essential items at hand.

Have your say

You must sign in to make a comment.