Due to the recurrence of floods, investment companies vital to the economy in Cumbria are now at risk.

Chief executive of the Cumbria Chamber of Commerce Rob Johnston has urged the government to help the businesses of Cumbria recover from the effects of the floods.

According to Mr Johnston, these floods are becoming too frequent an occurrence for the government to ignore.

Carlisle and Cockermouth were badly hit by floods in 2005, but whereas Carlisle improved its defences, Cockermouth has been victim to flooding in 2009 and again during the recent storm.

These floods were meant to have been expected once a millennium, but they have happened now twice in ten years.

From the point of view of business practice, this creates issues for insurance and businesses have been weighing up the options of reinvesting in their companies.

Mr Johnston said that even those who were not affected by the floods, would still have supply chain worries, due to business and travel disruptions in the surrounding area.