A Barepot woman was absolutely devastated when she realised her house was going to flood for the second time in six years.

Amanda Wallace, 40, who has lived in the hamlet since 2008, tried to use a water pump to prevent her house from flooding on the evening of December 5.

She said: "Me and my husband Nick had already moved most of the furniture upstairs in the days before the floods.
"We were busy pumping water so you don't really know what you're feeling, but when I realised our house was going to flood again I was absolutely devastated.
"We left and gave the pump to our neighbours.

"We stayed in a hotel for three or four nights and then wanted to go back home.
"We lived upstairs and got a caravan to have a kitchen just before new year.

"We didn't have cooking facilities over Christmas."

Amanda, who is now chairman of Workington Flood Action Group, said she has now converted her house.

She said: "The kitchen and living room are upstairs, but the downstairs is still bare.

"To me it's about being able to carry on living comfortably if it happens again.

"The only way flooding is going to be prevented is with a flood plan and work upstream.

"That's vital for Barepot.
"People don't realise what impact flooding has on people, it's living in fear, especially during the winter when there's a higher risk.

"It could happen again, no one can control the weather."