Steve Brailey, left, on behalf of the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association, receives the £21,000 cheque from Councillor Tim Heslop, leader of Allerdale Borough Council

Mountain rescue teams in the Lake District have been given a cash boost to help replace equipment lost and damaged while they were carrying out rescue work in last year’s Cumbrian floods.

The cash, from Allerdale Borough Council, is part of the Government’s allocation of funding for flood recovery for authorities in the area hit by the worst deluge on record last November.

Allerdale council leader Councillor Tim Heslop handed £21,000 to Steve Brailey, chair of Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team at the council’s headquarters in Workington. The donation will be shared by members of the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association, which represents the 12 teams in the area.

Councillor Heslop said: “The donation recognises the great effort that the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association put into rescuing people in the immediate aftermath of the devastating floods.

“They are a voluntary service and they are invaluable in times of trouble. They lost quite a lot of equipment during the floods and if we need their help again then we’ve got to make sure that they are well equipped.”

Mr Brailey said: “We faced some pretty extreme and unprecedented situations in the November floods, which took their toll on our emergency vehicles and gear, such as ropes, lights and radios. The £21,000 we have received from Allerdale Borough Council is a major contribution towards replacing the equipment we lost in the floods during our rescue efforts.”

Each of the main towns affected by the floods: Cockermouth, Keswick and Workington, have already been given £50,000 by the council to spend on flood recovery measures.