Cumbria County Council is advising people across the county to make only essential journeys as severe weather causes problems across the county.
Torrential rain and water-logged land followed by freezing conditions overnight are threatening to make conditions on the highway and underfoot very treacherous particularly on Tuesday morning.
Untreated roads and even some gritted routes are likely to become dangerous overnight.
Several rural roads around the county are already closed due to flooding and some in the east of the county have been closed because of snow. A number of schools around the county have been closed (see below).
The highways hotline has been inundated with calls about flooding. More than 150 on Monday morning alone and almost 1,000 in the last ten days.
Highways crews are working hard to tackle the situation on the roads but the sheer volume of water is causing problems. The land is saturated with rainwater and cannot absorb any more. Consequently rainwater is running off fields and onto roads and pavements. With rivers full and the ground saturated there is no where for the water to go and no scope to channel road surface water away and flooding is occurring on rural roads around the county.
Further problems are in store. The weather forecast for the next few hours predicts that the rain and snow is likely to stop by around 8pm. But temperatures are expected to fall well below freezing shortly after the rain and snow stops –they look set to fall well below freezing fall as low as -9C in some parts of the county. With so much surface water around it is highly likely that roads and pavements will become very icy.
The specific combination of torrential rain, water run off from the ground and the freezing conditions expected tonight make the situation particularly precarious.
Sub zero temperatures expected tonight will follow hard on the heels of the extremely wet conditions. Cumbria Highways gritters will be out tonight spreading salt on the roads, but water running down the highway from saturated land creates a serious risk that the gritting operation will be ineffective as the water washes the salt away before freezing occurs. Usually we aim to spread salt before temperatures reach freezing in prevent ice from forming.
Cumbria Highways is working as hard as possible to deal with the problems. However, pedestrians and motorists across the county are advised that, if they have to travel, they should take extra care.
Several rural roads all around the county are affected by flooding and many routes will be impassable.
A number of primary schools around the county have closed early due to the risk of surrounding roads becoming impassable.
They are:
Burgh-by-Sands Primary School, North West Carlisle Welton School, Carlisle Raughton Head School, Carlisle Lanercost CE School, Brampton Ivegill CE School, Carlisle Dent CE School, Sedbergh Beacon Hill secondary at Aspatria.
The continual rain is also making it virtually impossible to repair the high number of pot holes appearing in the road. Crew are busy tacking floods and we surfaces mean that repairs are virtually impossible to make anyway. Pot holes will be tackled as a matter of priority as soon as the situations allows.
ENDS
Media enquiries to Justin Hawkins, Media Officer on 01228 606334
Follow this link to view the leaflet 'Glovebox guide to winter driving in Cumbria 2007-08'