By Anna Burdett

Last updated at 11:30, Thursday, 27 September 2012

Few businesses in Cockermouth have installed flood protection, most believing nothing can keep out the water if the rivers burst their banks again.

Pictures of the flooded Main Street were beamed around the world in 2009 when most of the town’s shops were under water.

Research by Salford University among businesses in Cockermouth found that few have installed flood protection measures despite an average 1,750 per cent rise in insurance excesses reported.

The team, from the Centre for Disaster Resilience, found that of the businesses which had implemented at least one measure, the most common action was to review insurance.

Only 11 per cent of those surveyed had installed flood-resilient wall finishes and a similarly low percentage had moved stock and equipment above floor level.

But for most businesses, practical measures would have little impact because the rivers Cocker and Derwent flow just behind the high street.

Catherine Hetherington, owner of The New Bookshop, said: “We’re very limited in what we could do if that amount of water came through again.

“We’ve put a slate floor down, which is weather-proof, and we moved our electricity supply higher and our boiler upstairs.

“If the river burst its banks again, there’s not a lot we can do to keep it out. We can’t put flood defences in because with the design of the shop, it would make no difference.”

Other shops face the constraints of operating in the conservation area of a Georgian town. Karen Cottier is part-owner of Percy House Gallery, in a Grade II-listed building with a ground floor below street level.

She said: “We had a lot of problems replastering after the floods because the conservation officers didn’t like what we were using. We’ve asked our landlord about floodgates and he’s trying to find out if we’re allowed them.”

Although Ms Cottier and fellow owner Viv Austin can’t keep the water out, they are doing all they can to mitigate the aftermath of another flood.

Ms Cottier added: “We back up our computer systems every night and have stopped having storage cupboards downstairs.

“We have a lot of plastic tubs that we could put our stock into quickly and move it upstairs. Hopefully, if it happened again, we would have some warning.”

First published at 11:26, Thursday, 27 September 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk