Fears for bridge as rain returns
Heavy rain has returned to flood-ravaged Cumbria as fears grew over the future of a key bridge.
Up to 3.9in (100mm) of rain is predicted to fall on parts of Cumbria's already-saturated ground, raising river levels and putting the emergency services on flood alert throughout the day.
Cumbria County Council said Calva Bridge, which has been declared unsafe and carries a number of cables, dropped "several inches" and warned Workington residents that if it collapses, 1,000 homes north of the river will lose their telephone connections.
But the Environment Agency said that although heavy rainfall was predicted across the county, river levels were not expected to be as high as when the deluge began last Thursday, with some parts of Cumbria seeing more than 12in (305mm) in 24 hours. Six bridges have already collapsed, causing major transport and logistical headaches for thousands of people.
As hundreds of residents of washed-out Cockermouth were allowed back into their homes, work was under way to shore up existing flood defences.
Cumbria County Council said five schools remained closed and arrangements were being put in place to ensure that the 461 schoolchildren who cross the river at Workington every day to get to school will be able to do so by using school buses, which are expected to start from tomorrow. An alternative rail option is also being considered.
There are currently 15 flood warnings in place - 10 in north-west England, three in Wales, and one in both the Midlands and the North East - with a further 53 flood watches across the country.
United Utilities, which runs the electricity network on behalf of Electricity North West (ENW), said 1,000 customers in Cockermouth were still without power, along with 25 customers in North Side and 13 at Concrete Row, Stainburn.
In Wales, search teams looking for a young woman believed to have been swept away by a storm-swollen river recovered a body. The 21-year-old went into the fast-flowing River Usk, near Watergate Bridge, in Brecon, Mid Wales, on Saturday evening.
A major search carried out in the following days was called off this morning after a body was found close to Talybont-on-Usk, more than six miles downstream, Dyfed-Powys Police said.
