Engineers are working to repair flood defences damaged by Storm Desmond.

A team from the Environment Agency is fixing seals on the glass panels that sit along High Hill Road in Keswick.

It is the latest piece of work to be carried out by the agency in the county as part of the huge operation to repair the devastation left by Storm Desmond.

Keswick was one of the first towns severely affected as floods swept across Cumbria on December 5 last year.

And people watched anxiously as the glass panels were breached and waters started running towards homes and businesses.

The panels are designed to be strong enough to withstand the pressure of flood water as well as the impact force of large floating debris such as trees.

Kath Tanner, flood recovery manager for the Environment Agency, said: “The repairs to the glass panels form an essential part of our wider £10m programme of works to repair flood defences damaged. We plan to complete all necessary repairs by the autumn.”

The 42mm-thick panels – each made up of four sheets of glass – will be removed, refurbished and replaced. Temporary metal sheets will be fitted.

Work on the defences follows an earlier operation to remove gravel washed down the River Derwent by the floods.

Clear-up work is continuing as agencies begin to publish reports into how December’s disaster unfolded and what could be done to better protect communities from future flooding.

Details of an initial Cumbria County Council report will be outlined at a meeting being held at Greta Gardens between 6pm and 9pm next Tuesday.

Floods Minister Rory Stewart, the MP for Penrith and the Border, said: “Across Cumbria, the Environment Agency is working hard to repair flood defences and protect homes and businesses.

“This work in Keswick is part of an extensive programme in Cumbria that has already seen more than 3,000 flood defences inspected, with around 100 repair projects set to be completed by the autumn.

“We are also investing over £43m to better protect more than 3,500 homes across the county over the next five years.”

He added that the Cumbria Floods Partnership, which he leads, is bringing a raft of organisations, landowners and community groups together to examine how the county can better defend itself.

In Carlisle, a public meeting to examine how flooding happened in the city and how defences may be bolstered will take place today.

A Flood Forum will take place at the University of Cumbria on Fusehill Street from 5pm until 9pm. Between 7pm and 8pm, there will be a presentation on Cumbria County Council’s draft Flood Investigation Report, followed by questions about it.

Recommendations of that report, published last week, included bolstering defences around Botcherby Bridge, off Warwick Road, and reducing obstructions caused by bridges.