A STRING of proposed housing developments in Wigton was the main flood risk concern of residents in the town.

About 40 people descended on the town's Market Hall tonight to hear about the findings of a draft Flood Investigation Report.

But many were keen to voice their concerns about how they think new housing developments would increase the risk of flooding.

Proposals for two developments on Lowmoor Road and others near West Road, Station Road, Burnfoot and Syke Road are worrying residents who fear the water will have nowhere to go.

Wigton resident Jim Blaylock said: "If they're going to build 300 houses at Lowmoor Road, I want to know what's going to happen when it rains. Somebody is going to suffer."

Cumbria County Council's flood officer Andrew Harrison explained that guidelines dictate how much run off developers have to calculate for.

"There's been a big change in the last few years that with a greenfield they've got to do all these calculations and they can't allow more water off that field as a developed site.

"There's big massive ponds, there's underground storage. They've got to satisfy the government guidelines, they've got to provide storage on that site for a 1 in 100 year storm plus 40 per cent for climate change so a lot of the time it should improve the situations," he said.

"You'll probably get less in the town with a development than you would with a greenfield."

Chris Evans, of the Environment Agency, presented the report but stressed that it is only a draft and is a work in progress towards deciding what short, medium and long term measures could be put in place to protect the town which has a long history of flooding.

He emphasised how important community engagement and input from people living in the town was towards completion of a final report which is due to be completed in this autumn.