Police and Crime Commissioner Richard Rhodes has praised the efforts by the emergency services for their work during this weekend's severe floods.
He said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our emergency services for the tremendous work they have carried out in Cumbria over this weekend. Many have worked tirelessly to help those affected by the severe weather and floods, the scale of which is unprecedented in that so many parts of the county have been hit hard. My thoughts go out to those who have been affected.
“As we now enter a phase of recovery and the clean-up operations begin, I would urge people to listen to the advice being given out by Cumbria Police and other emergency services and agencies, and keep up to date with the latest information on flood warnings and road closures etc. by following the links below.
“Please take care and do not put yourself or others at risk, especially as the emergency services are fully stretched.”
A spokesperson from the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) said: “The Trust continues to face significant challenges in reaching patients in some parts of Cumbria and Lancashire, following the devastating floods over the weekend.
“The Trust was overwhelmed with offers of help by off duty NWAS staff, private ambulance services, Community First Responders (CFRs) and members of the public and we are extremely grateful for their support. We are also thankful for the many offers from off duty staff who reported in to help their colleagues.
“While 999 calls rose by 10 per cent on both Saturday and Sunday, we had to deal with ambulances unable to reach many patients and, in some areas, this is still a major challenge. Because of this, some patients are waiting longer than we would like for an ambulance response and we ask that the public helps us by only calling 999 in life-threatening or potentially life-threatening cases.
“Over the weekend, we used alternative routes where possible, sometimes going miles around to reach patients and then get them to a place of safety and this continues today. We are still working with volunteers, GPs, CFRs and other agencies to make sure that those who need help, get help.
“Our thoughts are with those who have been affected by this devastating incident and hope they are able to recover as quickly as possible.”