Flood-hit locals in Cumbria are clearing up after the second deluge in three weeks as they await further heavy rain in the run-up to Christmas Day.
Weather warnings are in place from the Met Office, prompting fears of further flooding in the north as the latest storm rolls in on Christmas Eve.
Towns and villages in Cumbria, still dealing with the aftermath of Storm Desmond earlier this month, were flooded for the third time in a month on Tuesday, with Glenridding, Keswick and Kendal all hit again.
In Appleby, the River Eden burst its banks once more, causing localised flooding in the low lying Sands area of the town.
A flood warning siren prompted dozens of people to rush to help – before the stone bridge over the river was closed as a precaution.
Martin Stephenson, a councillor for Appleby, said from the riverbank: “We are not looking forward to the arrival of Eva, the next storm coming in on Christmas Day, having had two floods already.
“The first flood on the 5th of December was exceptional, it over-topped the defences.
“That was quite a blow.
“This second flood has been a normal flood. It is very prone to flooding, Appleby is noted for flooding, but normally just in the Sands area.
“Residents and businesses get used to the fact that flooding is a risk nearly all the time.
“Over the years they have built resilience to that.
“Even more resilience may need to be built into those areas looking forward.
“We had what was called a one-in-100-year flood two weeks ago. We seem to be getting far more of these severe floods. You then have to ask questions, do you need to do anything more?”
Sandbags and flood defence barriers stood in doorways while skips lined the main streets as council lorries cleared drains and gullies of debris damming water courses.
A low wall of around 3ft (1m) high, built in 1995 and equipped with hydraulic gates to seal off the centre of the town, has prevented flooding many times, but could not prevent the deluge earlier this month, Mr Stephenson said.
Patrick Leach, resident and business owner of Capstick Carpets across from the river, was partially flooded on Tuesday, with the water lapping up to the inside step of his shop.
Mr Leach, who raised the floor level after the 2005 floods to make his premises flood-resilient, described the latest incident as a “normal flood” which was contained.
Earlier this month he lost up to £40,000 in stock and £30,000 in contents after 3ft (1m) of water flooded his shop and warehouse.
