A free street party to give Cockermouth a boost in its flood recovery brought almost £323,000 into the local economy, organisers said.

Northbound Festival, held on the town’s Main Street on August 6, was attended by around 7,500 people during the course of the day.

It featured two stages, a bar, food stalls and a children’s area. Local pubs also held after-event parties.

The festival was made possible by a partnership between cnevents, Allerdale council and financial assistance from the Local Enterprise Partnership’s Flood Fund.

Allerdale council said this week that independent research carried out by Red Research, of Kendal, on the day showed that 78 per cent of people travelled to Cockermouth specifically for the festival.

Nine in 10 people said they would come to another, similar event in the future and would recommend it to others.

The average spend per person at the event was £22.23, with 69 per cent of people saying they would also go for a meal or a drink, and 13 per cent would go shopping on the day, which in turn generated additional spend in the town.

Councillor Mark Fryer, Allerdale council’s executive member with responsibility for economic development, said: “It was important for the local community to bring people back into Cockermouth following the floods and show that it is open for business.

“The town has seen great benefit to its economy by bringing the festival into Main Street, giving visitors the opportunity to explore the businesses in the town while enjoying the event.”