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P FLOODS
Page 7
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Cumbria hauliers face long detours
CAT COVER STORY
By Christopher Walton and David Harris
HAULIERS IN Cumbria were hit hard by flooding, with many roads closed due to rising water levels. In Workington, Northside Bridge — the main bridge on the A597 into the town — collapsed, as 1-11 did the Lorton Bridge near Cockermouth. Several bridges remain closed due to structural concerns. Eric Nicholson, director of EW
& PA Nicholson in Cockermouth. says he was able to run operations "with very great difficulty'?
"The major road in West Cumbria [the A66] has been closed, and our major problem now is we can't get to Workington. A bridge has gone, and the weather is supposed to be bad again. Obviously, we are trying to keep going, but, for example, we load for 23 hours on a normal Friday."
Andrew Burridge. director at Tyson H Butridge, based on the A595 between Workington and Whitehaven, says the haulier felt 'marooned': He adds: "We are trying to get into West Cumbria, but have had to take much longer routes. The A591 is shut and the A66 is closed at Keswick. This means in some cases that we have to travel 150 miles to do what would normally be an 80-mile journey."
Even relatively short trips are problematic. A regular run from its base to a paper mill in Workington would normally be a five-mile trip, but ended up being a 20-mile journey because of detours.
The Environment Agency says 314.4mm of rainfall was recorded in the area over 24 hours between Thursday and Friday of last week.
• Keep up with the latest flood warnings by calling 08459 881188.