Cumbria could be one of the first places to benefit from millions of pounds of funding to develop natural flood management schemes.

The Government plans to invest £15m in schemes to slow the flow of water from catchments, and it's hoped a flood group set up by villagers in Stockdalewath and Highbridge, near Dalston, will pave the way - granted they receive a share of it.

Ian Irving, chair of the project board for the Roe Catchment Stakeholder Groups, says their scheme is developed and ready to go.

The Roe Catchment Community Water Management Group has already been named one of four pilot flood catchment schemes and Mr Irving welcomed news of the funding which could final see them become a national example of total catchment flood management.

He hopes they can pitch for about £250,000 to develop the scheme, which they've been developing for more than three years, to understand the catchment and be able to better manage it as a flood prevention measure.

"There's so much talk about total catchment management but no one's doing it," said Mr Irving.

"We're a shovel-ready project. We're ready to go. We've had some funding but we've got a short fall on the funding.

"Money that we could actually get through this national funding would be very well spent. We've got all the modelling done, we don't need to do anymore models or anymore talking. What we need to do is put it into action and test the theories."

He continued: "Carlisle will never be safe if they don't slow the flow in the catchments before it gets to Carlisle. I think everyone understands that now.

"You can keep building walls in Carlisle but if the deluge is to keep coming the walls will never be high enough."

The group works closely with the Environment Agency, Eden Rivers Trust and Natural England. It's hoped there will be an update on how to access the funding at a partnership meeting on December 9.

"Once we have approval by everybody concerned and the funding. Our scheme could go ahead tomorrow," added Mr Irving.

The funding announcement came on Thursday when Andrea Leadsom, secretary of state for Environment, Food and Rural Affriars, said it was "vital" to develop natural flood management.

In response to a question from former environment minister Richard Benyon she said: "Natural flood management — slowing the flow, and looking at ways to work with the contours of our environment to improve protection — is also vital.

"I can announce we have been given £15m to invest in further projects to do just that."

It comes as new research for Green Alliance found more than twice as much is being spent on dealing with the after effects of flooding, than on preventing them.

It found that while £613m is spent on dealing with the aftermath, only £269m is spent on hard defences.

The independent think tank is urging the Government to set up an innovation fund to support catchment scale trials with the funding.