By Jenny Barwise

Last updated at 13:01, Tuesday, 08 December 2009

A Workington family today told how they were struggling to carry on with everyday life after the transport chaos that hit the town since the floods.

Lynne and Mike Davies, daughter Christie and sons Kieran and Ben

Lynne and Mark Davies and their three children, Christie, 15, Kieran, 13 and Ben, six, said that like everyone else on the Northside estate they are experiencing terrible problems since the road links into Workington town centre were destroyed last month.

The children’s social life has been ruined because the after-school activities are in the heart of town, Mark has paid an extra £140 in petrol because of the huge tailbacks on his way to work and Lynne cannot see her family who live on the other side of the river.

Lynne said: “The worst part is not knowing when we are going to get any normality back. There is no quick fix and we don’t know how it is going to be put right.”

But she said that since disaster struck, the community has pulled together.

“Everyone is in the same position and there’s good camaraderie,” she said. “Everyone is backing each other up and spending more time talking to people you usually wouldn’t and looking out for each other.”

The typical day for 44-year-old Lynne is to get herself and the children up at 7am to get ready for leaving the house at 8am. The two eldest attend Workington’s St Joseph’s School so are now able to walk over the new footbridge – Barkers Crossing – to a waiting bus which takes them to school.

Lynne and Ben catch the train from the newly built station – Workington North – to the town centre before walking to Ben’s school, St Patrick’s Primary, and Lynne goes to work at Learning Land Nursery in the town.

Christie usually works at Workington’s Waverley Hotel on a Sunday, but she has been unable to get into work and the two boys attend scouts and cubs after school in the town centre and they have had to pull out.

Shopping is also a hurdle. “Mark picked me up after work one day about 3.30pm and we went to Morrisons and we didn’t get back home until 7.10pm because we were caught in the traffic,” said Lynne.

Lynne also fears for the elderly people living on the estate, many of whom are in their 80s, in case something happens to them and emergency services are unable to reach them.

Mark works shifts at Sellafield so is unable to catch the train. He battles with the massive detour to and from work and fears that somebody is going to be killed because the narrow roads are unsuitable for the vast amount of traffic that is using them.

With Christmas just around the corner, the family feel that this year is going to be bleak as they struggle to shop for presents and see family.

“It is Christmas time now, when you visit family and go for a drink, but we can’t even have a party because all our family are over the other side,” said Mark.

First published at 11:24, Tuesday, 08 December 2009
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk