A flood alert remains in place until Sunday after flash flooding hit the Borrowdale valley yesterday – halting motorists, killing dozens of sheep and seeing river levels rise with nearly four inches of rain in places.
Torrential downpours starting in the morning and getting heavier throughout Friday afternoon saw the level of Derwentwater breach its banks in places, with Derwent Beck also rising rapidly.
It left fields flooded and low-lying sections of the B5289 road under several feet of water – leading to motorists having to be towed out by 4x4s with reports on social media of farmers losing dozens of animals.
Statistics show that river levels across the area soared from the normal range of 1.4 metres to 1.62 metres in places. Keswick was also recorded by the Met Office as the wettest place in the North West on Friday with 1.4 inches (37.8mm) of rain.
But rain gauges at Seathwaite Farm, recorded 3.9 inches of rain over a 24-hour period (101mm) and 3.7 inches (95.8mm) at nearby Honister.
A flood alert from the Environment Agency remains in place today for an area covering the Upper River Derwent, Stonethwaite Beck and Derwentwater.
The flooding occurred during Great Big Green Week celebrating efforts to tackle climate change.
