AN ACTION group has welcomed progress made since floods battered a town 10 years ago - but insists more needs to be done.

Lynne Jones, chairwoman of Keswick Flood Action Group, said: “We have achieved a new £30 million sewage system for the town, £6.l million spent on river defences which is supposed to protect against a one in 75 year event and we have two pumps we can move around to pump water.

“The Penrith Road underground pump works are ongoing, which should be finished by February. We have another underground pump at Elliot Park which has been completed. We have achieved all those things.”

Mrs Jones says more must be done to improve the management of Thirlmere reservoir. Following the floods in 2005 United Utilities realised it could pump more water out of the reservoir and by 2006 was pumping out 100 megalitres of water a day.

The water firm soon realised the water they were releasing from the reservoir was not enough and by 2010 it was increased to 750 megalitres.

The sheer volume of water flooded nearby infrastructure and a decision was made that improvements would need to be made to allow water to be released on such a large scale. A solution to the problem has yet to be found.

If United Utilities were to increase the pumping capacity from the reservoir to 750 megalitres a day, says Mrs Jones, that would have a massive impact.

A spokeswoman for United Utilities said: “Keswick has always flooded, since long before Thirlmere was built. The reservoir and its operation actually provides flood mitigation because it slows the flow of water through St Johns Beck.

“Nevertheless it is important to remember that United Utilities’ responsibility is to manage Thirlmere for water supply storage, not to act as a flood defence.

“The engagement we have carried out with KFAG has been on a goodwill basis and we are unable to commit to any further changes in the operation of the reservoir without the approval of the Environment Agency and Natural England.”