Carlisle Floods: Understanding Past Devastation and Future Preparations

Today we explore the critical issue of flood preparedness in Carlisle. 

This episode highlights the challenges the city faces and ongoing efforts to protect residents and properties from future flooding events, especially with the increasing risks posed by climate change. Carlisle experienced devastating floods in 2005, the worst since 1822, causing three fatalities and flooding 1,800 properties. Just ten years later, in 2015, record rainfall led to even more widespread flooding, affecting 2,200 properties.

While new flood defences were built after 2005, protecting the city from a 1 in 200 chance storm, the 2015 storm surpassed their capacity.

Progress has been made since 2015, with new or raised defences better protecting 1,650 homes. However, concerns remain about climate change increasing storm intensity and the delay of the promised Caldew flood risk management scheme (Carlisle phase 3) meant to protect over 1,700 properties. 

Natural flood management techniques, like tree planting and wetland creation, are also being used to slow and store water upstream. Acknowledging community concerns, there are efforts to explore making potential emergency shelter locations available in advance.

Essential listening for anyone living in or near an area at risk of flooding.

Source: Flood Preparedness: Carlisle
Volume 765: debated on Thursday 24 April 2025

Chapters

• 0:45 2005 flooding
• 1:31 2015 flooding
• 2:52 Actions taken post 2005
• 4:09 Natural Flood Management (NFM)
• 5:18 Caldew Flood Risk Management Scheme
• 7:12 National picture
• 7:32 Emergency prepardness
• 8:43 Key takeaways

Transcript

Amy: 0:00

Thank you. Hello and welcome again to The Bench Report. You're listening to Amy and Ivan. Today, we're looking at flood preparedness in Carlisle, a city in the UK that's really had its share of troubles with flooding.

Ivan: 0:14

Yes, quite a significant history there.

Amy: 0:16

We've got some material here from a recent parliamentary debate, which gives us a good insight into Carlisle's experiences, what they've done to sort of build resilience, and the challenges that are still very much present. Our aim today is to give you a clear picture, the big floods, the defenses built, these newer natural approaches, what people are still worried about, and what it all says about how communities and government tackle these huge events.

Ivan: 0:46

Okay, so starting with the history, the debate really focused on two major events initially. First, January 2005, described as the worst flood there since, well, way back in 1822.

Amy: 0:58

Wow, that far back.

Ivan: 0:59

Yeah. And tragically, three people lost their lives. The city itself was just hammered. About 1,800 properties flooded. Power, phones, roads, rail, all seriously disrupted.

Amy: 1:10

And critical infrastructure, too, I read. Things you really need in an emergency.

Ivan: 1:14

Exactly. The Civic Center, which was their emergency control hub, the police station, the fire station, key things like the electricity substation, the telephone exchange, even the sewage works, all damaged.

Amy: 1:25

And this was all down to just extreme resources. Rainfall.

Ivan: 1:28

Record rainfall for the time, yes. But then, fast forward only 10 years to 2015. It

Amy: 1:34

happened again, didn't it? And even worse, I understand.

Ivan: 1:36

That's right. The 2015 rainfall actually smashed the 2005 record. This time, it was 2,200 properties flooded.

Amy: 1:43

More homes affected.

Ivan: 1:44

And the water levels were significantly higher, maybe 600 millimeters. That's about two feet higher in some places compared to 2005.

Amy: 1:51

There was that image, wasn't there, from the football ground?

Ivan: 1:53

Yes, the Carlisle United Stadium, Brunton Park. The crossbar of the goalposts was underwater A really striking visual of how deep it was.

Amy: 2:00

But thankfully, no lives lost in 2015.

Ivan: 2:03

No, thankfully not. And the debate did mention that the defenses built after 2005 did help. They reduced some damage, maybe slowed the flooding in certain areas. But clearly more was needed.

Amy: 2:14

And the debate touched on the personal side of this too. It's not just about statistics, is it?

Ivan: 2:19

Not at all. Ms. Minns, one of the contributors to the debate, shared her own family's experience from flooding back in 1985, actually, from the River Caldew.

Amy: 2:27

What did she describe?

Ivan: 2:29

She talked about the sheer terror and helplessness. Possessions ruined, that awful lingering smell of damp and sewage. It sounds dreadful.

Amy: 2:36

I can only imagine.

Ivan: 2:38

It affected them so badly they actually moved house within 18 months. And she linked that personal memory to this, you know, underlying fear in Carlisle, especially noting that 2025 is another year ending in five, given the pattern of 2005 and 2015.

Amy: 2:51

Understandable anxiety. So what was done after that first big one in 2005? Well,

Ivan: 2:56

the government at the time, labor government, commissioned new flood defenses. They spent around $38 million designing and building them for the rivers Eden, Petrel, and Kaldu.

Amy: 3:05

$38 million out. And what were they designed to withstand?

Ivan: 3:08

The aim was protection against a 1 in 200 chance storm event. So quite a high standard

Amy: 3:14

that they work.

Ivan: 3:15

Yes, they seem to have had a significant impact. It was estimated they prevented something like 180 million in damages during floods in 2012 and 2013. That's

Amy: 3:24

a good return on investment then. But obviously, 2015 showed limitations. What happened after that?

Ivan: 3:29

Well, the Environment Agency's work since then was commended in the debate.

Amy: 3:32

They've

Ivan: 3:33

apparently got about 1650 more homes better protected now.

Amy: 3:37

How? What did they do?

Ivan: 3:38

Over six kilometers of new or raised defense Improving culverts, other structures. Specific schemes were mentioned, like Carlisle Phase 1 and 1A finished in 2021 for the Warwick Road and Botcherby areas. And Phase 2, also finished in 2021, raised defenses along the River Eden near the city center. Plus, there are schemes at Rickerby and Low Crosby.

Amy: 4:00

That Low Crosby one sounded interesting. Something about a low-carbon approach.

Ivan: 4:04

Yes, exactly. It was described as award-winning, innovative, low-carbon. Part of that involved actually removing embankments to let the river use its natural floodplain more effectively.

Amy: 4:15

So moving towards working with nature, not just building walls against it.

Ivan: 4:19

Precisely. That ties into this broader idea of natural flood management or NFM.

Amy: 4:28

Examples were given of that too, right? Yes.

Ivan: 4:30

In Brampton... They mentioned tree planting and creating wetlands to help with flooding from a local beck, which also has other environmental benefits, like for wildlife. There's an ongoing NFM project there, too.

Amy: 4:41

And the Wiggling River.

Ivan: 4:42

Ah, yes, the Howgillbeck project. They basically restored a section of river that had been artificially straightened, making it meander again, wiggling.

Amy: 4:50

How does that help?

Ivan: 4:51

It slows the water down and allows it to spill onto nearby floodplain meadows during high flows. This reduces the flood peak downstream. and creates better habitats. It even won a UK River Prize for 2025. SARAH

Amy: 5:04

BALDWIN- Impressive. So it's about more than just stopping floods. It's about restoring the environment, too. MATT

Ivan: 5:08

PORTER- It can be, yes. And the debate highlighted the need for farming incentives to encourage farmers to use their land for these kinds of NFM schemes.

Amy: 5:16

SARAH BALDWIN- Makes sense. But despite all this progress, the concerns haven't gone away, have they?

Ivan: 5:21

No, definitely not. River levels apparently threatened Carlisle again just last January. And there was significant flooding in nearby Scottby last May from what was called a one in 300 year storm. About 100 properties hit there.

Amy: 5:35

A one in 300 year storm. These extreme events seem to be getting less rare.

Ivan: 5:40

That's the crux of it. Climate change. The debate explicitly stated the River Eden catchment is expected to be more severely affected than than most other areas in England.

Amy: 5:49

So the threat is potentially increasing. Is there a particular weak spot they're worried about now?

Ivan: 5:54

Yes. The big remaining piece seems to be the Kuldu Flood Risk Management Scheme. That's essentially Carlisle phase three.

Amy: 6:00

What's that meant to protect?

Ivan: 6:02

Over 1,700 properties in areas like Denton Home, Caldegate, Willow Home, places affected by that 1985 flood Ms. Minns talked about.

Amy: 6:09

Right. So what's happening with it?

Ivan: 6:11

Well, this is a point of frustration, it seems. The project was actually paused back in 2021 because of viability concerns.

Amy: 6:18

Meaning too expensive or technically too difficult?

Ivan: 6:21

Probably a mix of factors, costs, engineering complexity, maybe funding issues. The debate mentioned frustration over a lack of communication about the delay. So

Amy: 6:31

where is it now?

Ivan: 6:32

Feasibility studies are happening, expected maybe by the end of this summer. But there's real concern about how long it might actually take to build potentially five to ten years.

Amy: 6:42

That's a long time for people living with that risk. Are there interim measures?

Ivan: 6:46

Yes. The need for things like removing gravel and vegetation buildup in the River Kaldu to help water flow better was mentioned as something needed sooner rather than later.

Amy: 6:54

Is money being put towards this Kaldu scheme now?

Ivan: 6:57

Some. £300,000 was allocated this year for its development, and over £1 million pledged more broadly for schemes in northwest Cumbria, including some property-level protection at Warwick Bridge, hoping to finish that by winter 2025.

Amy: 7:11

Seems like a patchwork. And what about the bigger national picture for defenses?

Ivan: 7:15

The debate touched on that, noting that nationally, around 3,000 environment agency assets considered high consequence are below the required condition after years of, quote, underinvestment. Though was also stated the current government plans record investment over the next couple of years.

Amy: 7:32

Okay, so investment is planned. What about knowing when a flood might actually be coming? Emergency preparedness.

Ivan: 7:39

Some progress there. Flood warning provision has been expanded in Carlisle, covering new areas like Warwick Bridge and Parham Beck, about 330 properties. And the value of those text alerts was acknowledged.

Amy: 7:52

People find those useful, I expect.

Ivan: 7:54

Very much so. But a key issue raised was the lack of pre-published information on where emergency shelters would be located before a flood hits.

Amy: 8:02

You mean people don't know where to go until it's happening?

Ivan: 8:04

Apparently not, publicly at least. And as the debate pointed out, relying on real-time info during a flood is tricky, especially if the emergency centers themselves might be affected, like in 2005.

Amy: 8:15

That seems like a major gap. Any commitment to fix that?

Ivan: 8:19

The minister did commit to working with the local authority on publishing a list of potential shelter locations in advance.

Amy: 8:25

Potential locations. Okay. That's something. Anything else on preparedness?

Ivan: 8:30

Just reinforcing the need for good coordination between private landowners, local councils, and the environment agency when it comes to maintaining riverbanks properly. Everyone needs to be on the same page.

Amy: 8:42

Right. So pulling it all together, what are the main takeaways for you?

Ivan: 8:47

Well, Carlisle clearly has a tough history with major floods. There's been significant investment and progress, particularly with engineered defenses after 2005, and now increasingly embracing natural flood management, which is positive.

Amy: 9:01

But big challenges remain.

Ivan: 9:02

Absolutely. Getting that call-do scheme, phase three delivered, seems critical. And improving emergency preparedness, especially getting that shelter information out before an event, feels urgent. The community's shown resilience, but the threat especially with climate change, isn't going away.

Amy: 9:17

It's a mix of big engineering, running with nature, and getting the immediate response plans right. Okay, that gives us a really clear picture. One final thought to leave our listeners with. Considering these increasingly frequent extreme weather events we're seeing, how can communities like Carlisle best balance these huge long-term infrastructure projects, which take years, with the need for more immediate, perhaps more adaptable preparedness strategies for the floods that might happen next year or the year after? Something to think about.

Ivan: 9:48

Indeed.

Amy: 9:49

As always, check out the show notes for more details on today's topic. Find us on social media at BenchReportUK. Take care.

Ivan: 9:55

Take

Amy: 9:57

care.