LABOURS'S candidate for Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) has told of his personal experience of Storm Desmond on the eighth anniversary of the event.

During Storm Desmond, which hit the county on December 5 and 6 2015, David Allen's family home flooded that day for the second time, the first being in 2005, when his daughter was just one year old.

The flood of 2015, he says, was 'considerably worse, deeper and longer in duration than the flood of 2005'.

Speaking about the event, David said: "As many people in Carlisle and across Cumbria know, flooding turns your life completely upside down.

"The flood in 2015 was absolutely horrendous. The water was waist deep and stayed in the house for three days.

"We stayed in the upstairs until day three but after that it was too cold and I ended up using my old police whistle to summon help from the Fire Service and RNLI, who came in one of their RIBs (rigid inflatable boat) and rescued us.

"My kids thought it was very exciting, and it was.

"I however, remembering the turmoil of the 2005 flood, knew the work that would be needed to get us back into our home.

"It took over a year to get back into the house.

"Luckily, through contacts in the police, I was able to find a place for my family to stay, so we had a proper home to move into over Christmas, rather than have to live in hotels, as I know some people had to for an extended time.

"What I saw in both floods was the counties' communities and its emergency services at their very best.

"I saw Cumbrians coming together, and supporting one another, be they police, fire and rescue or neighbours just looking out for each other.

"I started my career in the police in 1986 in Carlisle working the beat. I worked around the county at different ranks and know that the police and other emergency services risk everything during major events, such as floods, or this weekend's severe snowfall and weather.

"From my time as a sergeant at Workington, I knew Bill Barker who tragically gave his life in the line of duty when Workington’s Northside bridge came down in 2009. I remember being shocked to my core that it had happened, as were most other officers in the force.

"I still remember that day. It was and remains a tragic loss. An officer lost in the line of duty, protecting the public in the area that he lived in and loved.

"The emergency services will always be there and will always put themselves in harms way to help the public they serve. We have a pact: they protect us and we, as their community, in turn, look after them."

Storm Desmond wrought significant damage on Cumbria.

According to one 2015 estimate from PricewaterhouseCoopers, the devastation caused an estimated £500million of damage throughout the county.