MP joins local residents to demand flood defences for Windermere lake

Local MP Tim Farron's campaign to secure flood defences around Windermere lake took a step forward this week after the Environment Agency and local people agreed on a set of flood relief schemes for the area.

During a meeting of the Windermere Lake Levels Group, local businesses and residents supported an option put forward by the Environment Agency to protect the communities of Windermere, Backbarrow and Bowness from future flooding.

The package of works, which will cost £3.6 million, includes river dredging at the lake's southern outlet; increasing water flow at the "bottleneck" Backbarrow Bridge; and constructing flood defence walls at Newby Bridge.

Tim will lobby Government to fund the proposal - but the Government has so far rejected previous flood relief schemes for Windermere, Bowness and Backbarrow, claiming they failed to meet their 'cost/benefit criteria'.

Tim said: "Residents and local businesses around the lake have been ignored by the Conservative Government when it comes to protection from flooding.

"I will continue to be adamant that local people shouldn't have to pay a penny for flood protection - the Government owe it to the communities in Windermere, Bowness and Backbarrow to fund these vital defences.

"I've contacted the Environment Agency to clarify the details on costing so that we don't give the Government any excuses to wriggle out of their duty to protect local people.

"It's now my job to take this plan to Whitehall and bang on the door of ministers to get them to fund it."