INTENSE rain "overwhelmed" drains and flooded hundreds of Millom properties, a draft report has revealed.

The Flood Investigation Report, carried out by Cumbria County Council, said the flooding was caused by heavy rain on the morning of September 30.

The report saw information gathered from United Utilities, Copeland Borough Council, the Environment Agency and the Highway Authority.

The report said: "During the investigation and discussions with many of the residents it was sometimes commented that the pumps at the pumping station on King Street may not have been working.

"United Utilities have provided information that demonstrates the pumps were working to their full capacity."

The report confirmed gullies in the town were given their annual clean by Cumbria County Council in July. They were checked and cleaned again afterwards.

It said: "During the event, many gullies were overwhelmed by the volume of rainfall experienced and were not able to drain the surface water runoff away from the area as quickly as required."

The report claims that on September 30, Millom and Haverigg suffered intense rainfall at a rate of 19-21mm per hour.

The report said: "The event that affected Millom and Haverigg was caused by a narrow band of very heavy rainfall which swept in on the Saturday morning and affected parts of south Cumbria roughly 15 miles wide.

"It stretched from the Duddon Estuary on the coast north-eastwards to the Windermere and Ambleside area.

"There were no rainfall or weather warnings issued by the Met Office for the event, although a weather warning had been issued for October 1."

Hundreds of homes and businesses damaged

According to the draft report, an estimated 271 homes and businesses in Millom and Haverigg were affected by the flooding.

The worst-hit area was Market Street, where 40 properties were damaged, while there were also 29 on Albert Street and 24 on Surrey Street.

174 homes had internal damage, while 81 suffered damage outside, including 15 properties on Wasdale Road and eight on Moor Park.

The majority of the properties were homes, with 12 businesses in Millom and seven in Haverigg also affected.

Recommendations for future action

THE report into September's floods has recommended action in four different areas.

A number of areas have been identified for maintenance, including gully cleaning and clearing drainage systems.

Another recommendation is to review and update community plans through the Cumbria Local Resilience Forum to ensure homes and businesses are better prepared for flooding.

It also recommended United Utilities and the county council strengthening flood defences, with reviews and surveys already carried out.

Investigations will be carried out in March to find opportunities to reduce runoff surface water between Settle Street and Castle View and Bowness Road.

The draft report will be presented to residents at a meeting tonight (18) at Beggar's Theatre at 6.30pm.