By Emily Parsons

Last updated at 11:38, Monday, 29 October 2012

People battling flooding problems have been urged not to fight alone.

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Those affected by problems throughout Cumbria have united to hold talks with some key players in preventing and dealing with floods.

And they were told that climate change has been a factor in floods that have affected parts of the county this summer.

Issues surrounding defences and insurance were among the items debated at a conference in Carlisle.

Delegates included those from the city and surrounding areas including Keswick and Cockermouth.

The event was organised by the Northern Flood Group as part of ongoing attempts to resolve flooding that has cost Cumbria millions of pounds in recent years, including floods in Carlisle in 2005 and west Cumbria in 2009.

It is hoped that experiences highlighted and shared during Saturday’s conference will help influence future policy and handling of floods.

Northern Flood Group secretary Lynne Jones, also chairman of Keswick Flood Action Group, said: “We realised there were an awful lot of communities, particularly rural ones, dealing with the same kind of problems.

“We tend to fight our corner in isolation but there are so many issues we all need to fight together.

“If you’re fighting in isolation, you can feel jaded: together we are empowered.”

The conference included businesses showcasing the latest flood defence technologies, as well as representatives from the Environment Agency – one of the event’s main sponsors.

Sally Sudworth, flood executive for the Environment Agency, said the conference was essential, particularly after the wet summer.

She added: “This event is hugely important, because it’s a way of really engaging with the communities and hearing them speak about their own experiences.

“Hearing it from someone who has been through the experience is more valuable and credible – we can listen and try to understand people’s concerns.”

Mrs Sudworth said this summer floods were caused by the type of rainfall.

“Certainly some of the flooding is to do with climate change, that’s a fact,” she said.

“This summer, the convective rainfall we have had has been much more intense. The type of storms meant small areas were suffering huge deluges of rainfall in a short time.”

First published at 11:23, Monday, 29 October 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk