Calls have been made for an early warning system which helps predict the weather to be greatly improved as it doesn't cover Cumbria in enough detail.

The leader of Cumbria County Council Stewart Young said the radar system doesn't adequately protect much of the county, meaning it cannot benefit from early warnings at crucial times - such as before Storm Desmond.

Speaking at a meeting of cabinet yesterday, Mr Young argued for the need to significantly improve the system.

He said: "Following the floods last year one of the things that came to light was that our agencies didn’t receive the detailed advance weather warnings that they needed to help protect our communities and businesses.

"Since then it has emerged that the current radar weather warning system does not provide adequate high resolution weather warning information for our area.

"Because of our landscape, particularly our mountains, the line of sight for our areas from the existing radar stations is restricted. I am therefore calling on the Government to invest in improved high resolution weather radar systems that will help protect Cumbria.

"We have more than our fair share of bad weather and this would provide much needed early warning to ourselves and other partner agencies of any future severe weather fronts heading our way.”

The current system provides only low resolution radar data over the Irish Sea and much of Cumbria.

As the majority of rain approaches Cumbria from the west, the lower resolution data only provides a limited picture of what is coming in over that sea, or what may be developing as it crosses.