Carlisle floods: Play area of park forced to close

After heavy rain on Wednesday May 22, which saw Carlisle hit with the highest rainfall in the country, roads and trainlines were impacted on Thursday morning. 

Large part of Bitts Park were left underwater following the flooding, and the popular play park was hit particularly hard. 

The outdoor gym area was completely flooded (Image: Jimmy Moorhouse)

The outdoor gym was completely flooded, while the splash pad and sand pit areas were also damaged.

On Facebook, Cumberland Council wrote: "We're sorry but following flooding overnight we have had to close off the play area of Bitts Park this morning.

"Whilst water levels are falling on the River Caldew, the River Eden remains high and therefore the risk of further water entering the park is still present.

"There is a lot of standing water in the play area and our teams will carry out a full assessment and clean up of the site once it is possible to do so. They hope to be able to do this on Tuesday, May 28, subject to the site being accessible, and anticipate that much of the site will be suitable for re-opening next week.

"The splash pad will however require a more detailed inspection and clean prior to attempting to re-open it and the sand pit is likely to require replacement of the sand before it can return to use.

"Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause."

Cumberland Council aim to reopen the play area by Tuesday next week (Image: Jimmy Moorhouse)

The forecast is expected to improve by Saturday, with sunny spells and high temperatures expected, but it seems clear that the damage caused by this week's extreme weather conditions will take Cumberland Council some time to solve, particularly in Bitts Park itself.