Flooding causes travel chaos

Motorists in Cumbria are facing a week of massive travel disruption in the aftermath of the worst flooding in England in 1,000 years. Sixteen bridges in the county have been shut for damage inspection after the tragic death of PC Bill Barker.

A further 25 major roads have also been closed due to flooding, which has turned short commutes from one side of a town to the other into lengthy trips. People in Cockermouth, the worst affected town by the unprecedented rain, now have to travel 40 miles to avoid the Northside Bridge if they want to get into the centre of town by car.

Chief Superintendent Steve Johnson, of Cumbria Constabulary, said: "If you don't need to travel, please do not make any non-essential journeys. I'd also ask people not to use any bridge to cross rivers that has not been checked. This will help keep the public safe and make the job easier for the emergency services who are busy trying to do their best."

Local MP for Workington Tony Cunningham said: "Some drivers are being forced to travel 90 miles for a journey that would usual take a minute and a half. This is unfortunate, but commuters will have to bear with us while roads and bridges are made safe. Public safety is the number one priority."

It's unclear when travel will return to normal in the Cockermouth area and local councillor Eric Nicholson said: "It will be chaos for some time, but we'd ask drivers to only travel when necessary and not to take any risks."

Alisdair Suttie