SOUTH Lakeland District Council is to be pressed to help victims of last year's devastating floods.

Ulverston Town Council is to call for the extension of government-backed grants for flood victims to their area, to help improve the resilience of people's homes in Ulverston.

As it stands, people flooded by Storm Desmond and Storm Eva can claim up to £5,000 to help protect their home or business, however, this is something Ulverston residents have not been able to claim.

Councillor Mark Wilson said: "It's important that we take action. It's why we've had the information sheets printed."

Earlier this month Cllr Wilson attended a flood fair in Kendal to gather information for the Ulverston Resilience Committee.

Cllr Wilson said he was determined to back up the council's words on flooding with action.

The move came as town councillors discussed flooding at their monthly meeting on Monday night.

It had been hoped that members of the Environment Agency would be on hand to answer pressing questions on flooding.

However, they were unable to attend and in their absence, the council was provided a handout with some key facts on why South Ulverston is at such a high risk of flooding.

The EA have said the area on which the town was built is reclaimed salt marsh, which naturally tried to revert to a marshy condition.

South Ulverston is at the merging of both the Town Beck and Dragley Beck, the result being that during intense weather events, water cannot be absorbed into the ground.

The proximity of South Ulverston to the sea results in silt deposits backing up the water upstream, and high tides raising water levels as far up at Fitz Bridge.

The drainage of the area was also highlighted as being in poor condition and difficult to maintain because of its complex structure.

During the meeting, Councillor Pauline Halfpenny spoke about her concern over the lack of help available to homeowners.

She said: "When I was flooded I received very little help from the local authority. I'm concerned that people have have enough insurance. Any time I hear about anyone being flooded my heart goes out to them."

As well as detailing the causes behind flooding in South Ulverston, the Environment Agency has called on residents to help them in their work.

The EA is conducting a £200,000 modelling study on the area in anticipation of a future solution to flooding.

They have said the more input from residents will improve their chances on securing long-term investment for the area.

According to the EA the money will be spent on "detailed studies of the tidal, fluvial, and surface water system and how it interacts to create flood issues."

Elsewhere in Ulverston, there will be up to £9.3 million spent on the protection of hundreds of residential and commercial buildings threatened by flooding from the Town Beck.

The scheme is scheduled for completion in October 2017, and will protect more than 520 properties to a one in 100 year standard.

If any member of the public wants a handout prepared by the Environment Agency, the council has made them available in the Town Hall and the Coronation Hall.

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