Gordon Brown pledges to help flood victims
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said that he will pledge an extra £1 million worth of funding to aid the victims of the recent flooding in Cumbria. He announced that additional amount as he visited the area. Cumbria has been hit by the heaviest downpours on record and the resulting floodwaters have devastated local communities and swept away bridges. The floods have also resulted in the death of a policeman who was pulled into the River Derwent after the Northside Bridge in Workington on which he was standing collapsed. All of the bridges in Cumbria are now undergoing inspection as a result of the heavy flooding.
Gordon Brown said that he would pledge the extra £1 million to match the sum already promised by the regional development agency. He made the announcement whilst visiting the devastated town of Cockermouth and promised that the government would do everything possible to help the area rebuild itself. He also went on to praise the community spirit he saw in the town saying that it made him feel immensely proud. He said that the emergency services were doing an outstanding job.
1,000 homes in the area have been left without power and the local fire-brigade says that they have been inundated with around 500 calls for help. They said that they have had to call in crews from the surrounding areas in order to cope. Although the cleanup is now underway weather forecasters are warning that the heavy rain is set to continue over the coming days.
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