Further progress has been made on the £8m major flood defence works set to provide greater protection to one of Carlisle’s most vulnerable areas.

Continued progress is being made on the first phase of the Carlisle flood risk management scheme, the Environment Agency has said.

The £8m scheme is focused on providing greater protection to the Warwick Road area of Carlisle, which has seen more than its fair share of flooding devastation in the past 15 years.

The area most recently experienced flooding in February this year.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said on Monday that works on phase one of the Carlisle flood risk management scheme “continue to progress well, with new pedestrian footpaths being installed in Melbourne Park and wall raising continuing downstream of Botcherby Bridge”.

The Environment Agency’s flood risk manager, Stewart Mounsey, said on Friday that overall, “good progress” was being made, despite “challenges”, on the flood defence schemes covering the Etterby area, the Gosling Syke area, the Rickerby area, the Low Crosby area and Appleby.

Phase one of the Carlisle flood defence scheme was forced to stall late last year, after the wettest August and September in the past 30 years made continuing the work through into 2020 impossible.

The first phase of the Carlisle scheme will improve the protection from flooding for more than 1,200 homes and 100 businesses.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency has previously said that the works in the Warwick Road area had “progressed very well” over the summer.

“We have made best use of the good weather,” the spokesman said.

“Our in-river works to improve Botcherby Bridge were successfully completed on time in September.

“The raising of the Melbourne Park embankments are due to finish towards the end of October.

“We are also undertaking additional works in the form of Phase 1A.

“Phase 1A includes the raising of the Eden embankments and increasing the heights of the flood defence walls downstream of Botcherby Bridge. Those works are expected to continue through December.

“We are also due to install a sliding flood gate across the Warwick Road Tesco entrance early in 2021.

“The Environment Agency is committed to delivering this Scheme to better protect homes and businesses in Carlisle.”