Agencies in Cumbria on major incident standby ahead of possible flooding
An amber weather warning is covering parts of the county from 6am Sunday morning
Agencies in Cumbria are on major incident standby ahead of potential flooding in the county.
The Met Office says the amber weather warning for rain is due to be in force from 6am on Sunday 14th December 2025 to 6pm on Monday 15th December 2025.
The alert is covering a section of the county, predominantly over the central and Western Lake District area and also West Cumbria.
There is also a yellow warning of rain covering the entire county in place between 6pm today (Saturday 13th December 2025) and 6pm on Monday.
Cumbria's Resilience Forum is urging residents to:
- Consider their travel plans, allowing extra time for journeys and to determine whether travel is necessary during adverse conditions. If you must travel during this time do so with caution, pack your car with essentials, plan your route, and listen to travel updates.
- Speak to vulnerable relatives, friends, and neighbours – advise them and ensure they are prepared in case of power outages.
- Do not drive through flood water if coming across flooding – take an alternative route.
- Check your torch batteries, radio and try to ensure phones are charged up in advance of the worst-affected times.
Chief Superintendent Carl Patrick, of Cumbria Constabulary, is chairing the Local Resilience Forum response.
He said: “The public can be reassured that our multi-agency response to what may occur over the next few days is underway.
“Emergency services and other partners including the Environment Agency, Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council are doing all they can to ensure our county is prepared for the potential impacts and ensure people are safe.
“At this early stage, we would ask people to ensure they are prepared should power outages occur and to check on vulnerable relatives, friends, or neighbours ahead of the peak of the prolonged heavy rainfall which is forecast. We are also encouraging people to consider their travel plans for the next few days and decide whether such plans are necessary as road conditions will be challenging.”
Andy Brown, Environment Agency Area Duty Manager, said: “Heavy, persistent rainfall means significant river and surface water flooding impacts are probable in Cumbria from Saturday evening into Monday.
“Environment Agency teams are out on the ground and will support local authorities in responding to surface water flooding. We urge people not to drive though flood water – it is often deeper than it looks and just 30cm of flowing water is enough to float your car.
“If you are flooded, call 999 if in immediate danger and follow advice from emergency services.”
Network Rail issues do not travel advice on routes between parts of Lancashire and Cumbria
Rail passengers are being warned to expect disruption in Cumbria and Lancashire because of the expected bad weather.
To keep passengers and railway staff safe, trains will run at reduced speeds in some areas on Sunday and Monday.
As a further precaution, no passenger trains will operate from the start of service tomorrow (Sunday 14th December 2025) through to 6pm on Monday (15th December 2025) on the following lines and no rail replacement services will be provided:
Carlisle - Carnforth
Oxenholme - Windermere
Carnforth - Skipton
Carlisle - Skipton
Barrow - Lancaster/Preston
Corkickle - Barrow
Lancaster - Morecambe
Phil James North West route director said:
"We are expecting extremely heavy rain and winds in Cumbria and parts of Lancashire, which could disrupt the railway. Our top priority is keeping passengers and staff safe, and we’re working hard behind the scenes to prepare.
“Teams are carrying out extra inspections and putting contingency plans in place, with staff ready to respond quickly to flooding. We’ll be monitoring conditions closely and doing everything we can to keep people moving safely.”
Andy McClements, Customer Experience and Transformation Director at TransPennine Express, said:
“With poor weather forecast, we are asking all customers planning to travel through Cumbria to check carefully before heading to the station, as we will be running an amended timetable. We also expect that many of our services we are able to run in the area will be disrupted - often at short notice.
“Trains that do run are likely to extremely busy given the time of year and the reduced number of services in operation.”