Walney is being left 'like Venice' by flooding, warned a councillor who has helped set up an action group to tackle the problem.

Raw sewage from flooded parts of the island has prompted a number of councillors on Barrow Council to unite in a bid to find solutions.

The working group will investigate the problems of flooding on the island.

Councillor Frank Cassidy, who represents Walney South, was concerned for the community that he represents.

He said: “In one part of Walney two weeks ago it was like Venice.

"Thorney Nook Lane, which connects Biggar Village and Biggar Bank, is set amid low-lying farmland and it has been prone to flooding for some years.

“Unusual weather events of recent winters, heavy rain and poor drainage have all combined to make the situation deteriorate further and I am grateful to county council officers and local contractors who have swung into action.

“We have swept the affected lane, with many tonnes of sludge being removed from the gullies and a new geographic survey of the area is being carried out.

"Beyond that drainage works will be put in place. I would like to thank residents and users of the lane for their patience while this is being addressed.

"The problems also involve raw sewage from the United Utilities access hole next to the bowling club, along with flooding of the playing fields.

"Floodwater spills into the bowling club, which has been reported to United Utilities on several occasions and they sometimes send a water wagon to drain the flooded area.

"But United Utilities say they need to bring about a permanent solution.

"Anyone who goes over to Walney after bad weather can see the flooding for themselves.”

Councillor Martin McLeavy who represents Roosecote, has reservations about how far the current scrutiny committee could go to fix the problem.

He said: “There are several elements to this, with one of them being United Utilities.

"We have no authority to scrutinise United Utilities because they are a privately-owned company.

"I would like to ask United Utilities if it were possible for us as a committee to meet with them and ask them questions in order to get some progress on the flooding.”

Councillor Bill McEwan, who represents Ormsgill, could see the frustration.

He said: “As Frank knows, Kevin Hamilton took this problem to the community and places scrutiny board at the County Council, and put it to them that we want something done.

"As a result, scrutiny up there are now looking into this with United Utilities.

"So, if the county council can do something about this to get it sorted, then this is all good stuff.

"Also, I am chair of the Highways sub-group; we are inviting United Utilities along to our meetings so we will discuss this again fully with them and hopefully we will get an answer off them.

"Sewage is a problem and if they are talking about putting another 600 houses on Walney, then this will cause more and more damage to the sewage system.

"So, it’s a big ASAP.

"Raw sewage from Walney's floods is a health and safety crisis; it has to be done right, as soon as possible.

"We should try and do something about it locally as well as at county level with a local partnership working group."

Councillors agreed to set up a team of three to establish a working group to investigate all avenues to fixing the problem.

They also added the topic to the scrutiny action plan for 2021/22 and agreed go to full council with it at the next opportunity.

Councillors also decided to contact the county council's own working group – known as ‘Making Space or Water – to speak through them United Utilities.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for United Utilities said: “We are sorry about the intermittent flooding in this part of Walney Island.

"It’s something we have been working hard with local stakeholders over a number of months to address and we are determined to get to the bottom of it.

“The causes of flooding are often complex and can take time to fully understand and mitigate.

"That’s why it’s important that people keep reporting events to us as they’re happening so we can build up an accurate picture to inform our investment plans.

“We recently carried out some modifications to the way the system operates in this area and the next step is for comprehensive inspections of several manhole chambers on Walney Channel.

"Being in a sensitive area, we need permission from Natural England to do this work, which we hope to receive soon.

“In the meantime, we investigate and clean-up flooding from our network every time it happens.”