Safety reviews are being conducted on all 1,800 bridges in Cumbria following severe flooding in the area. Six bridges have already collapsed in the area and a further bridge has been condemned due to suspicions it may be about to fall.
The collapse of the bridges and flooding of the area have caused chaos with people evacuated from their homes and some people have already been killed as a result. Amongst those was PC Bill Barker, who died on Friday morning when a bridge outside Workington collapsed.
According to the BBC, the conditions have forced the closure of schools and are playing havoc with commutes. Fire crews and structural engineers are monitoring the worst hit areas to ensure that buildings are safe.
The Environmental Agency is responsible for managing the risk of flooding in the UK. According to their website, while they acknowledge that they are unable to prevent flooding entirely, they implement risk management and assessments in order to limit the impact of flooding. This can include flood defences such as concrete or metal constructions such as embankments and also pumping stations. They also work in conjunction with drainage and waste management operators such as United Utilities.
It would, however, be unreasonable to apportion the blame for the flooding squarely at the feet of the Environmental Agency, as an unprecedented 314.4mm of rain fell at Seathwaite Farm in Cumbria. By creating risk assessments and putting in place strategies to combat the flooding and acting quickly with the cooperation of both emergency services and local authorities it seems that the Environmental Agency has done everything in their power to minimise the severity of the flooding and they are trying to minimise the risk of further injuries and deaths by closing off roads and assessing the safety of bridges.
