OPTIONS for a flood defence scheme for Carlisle are set to be revealed next month.

The Environment Agency is hosting a drop-in session at Brunton Park on January 23 and is keen to hear local people's thoughts on the proposals.

Since Storm Desmond devastated Cumbria in 2015 the agency has explored ways to better protect the area in the future. This has included extensive appraisal work to identify the best ways to invest £25m of government funding for improved flood defences in Carlisle.

Stewart Mounsey, the Environment Agency's flood risk manager for Cumbria, said: “We are pleased to share the latest developments for managing future flood risk with the Carlisle community.

"We saw first-hand the devastating impact the floods of 2015 had on residents and businesses and we want to work really closely with the community to help reduce their impact in the future.

"We are currently refining our preferred options, which gives us a great opportunity to further take on-board local knowledge and insight around proposals going forward.

"We would encourage everyone to come along to the drop-in session to learn more about our ongoing work, to share their views and thoughts on the plans and to see how they can continue to be involved as flood risk management recommendations develop."

Given the extent of works required in Carlisle, the city is being divided up in to different phases, with a planning application for phase one due to be submitted in early 2019 and plans to start work in the summer.

Residents spoke out about their fears on the third anniversary of Storm Desmond last week.

Elsie Martlew, whose home in Caldew Maltings was flooded for the second time in 2015, said expected the project to be well underway by now.

She told the News & Star: "Everytime it rains heavily we fear we are going to be flooded again."

Mr Mounsey has said that while the agency is better prepared to respond, the implementation of a flood defence scheme will make the biggest difference for the city. Until then he said the extent of the damage would be the same.

The drop-in session, from 4pm till 7.30pm, will provide an overview of the plans and allow the project team to share the latest developments. Environment Agency officers will be on hand throughout the event to discuss and answer any other questions residents may have.

The information will also be available online following the event at www.cumbriastrategicfloodpartnership.org.