A council has used flood relief funds to pay for private security firms following looting in the aftermath of last month’s torrential downpours.
The security teams – being paid out of the Lake District county’s flood-relief fund – have been drafted in to patrol flood-hit streets, and stop them being a “soft target” for criminals.
Cumbria Police and Cumbria County Council said the necessary move was prompted after repeated thefts from flooded homes – including the shocking thefts of several 500 dehumidifiers.
The patrols are taking place through the night in flood-stricken Carlisle, Appleby, Cockermouth, Kendal, Keswick and Penrith,1 between 4pm and 8am, and are expected to last until mid-February.
The security staff are being sourced by recruitment firm Randstat.2
Anyone who’s been a victim of the floods has been through more than enough already, the last thing they need is to become a victim of crime as well Cumbria County Council spokesman
“This a precautionary measure to ensure Cumbria remains a low crime area and not a soft target as people recover from the impact of the floods.
“The use of a private security firm is not something that is normally required.
“However, on this occasion we felt it would be a positive approach to reassure the public during a difficult and challenging time for many people.”
Storm Desmond: River bursts its banks in Glenridding, in pictures3
A Cumbria County Council spokesman added: “These are unprecedented times for the county.
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“We’re trying to help people affected by the floods as much as possible, and using private security to support the police and help safeguard flooded properties is part of that effort.
“Anyone who’s been a victim of the floods has been through more than enough already, the last thing they need is to become a victim of crime as well.”
The floods were bad enough, now people are targeting the houses . It’s the lowest of the low Hairdresser Barry Ferguson
Looters have pounced three times Carlisle Cricket Club’s flood-hit ground in recent weeks, as callous thieves cash in on the devastation that has hit Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire.
But police have now revealed that dehumidifiers have also been swiped by looters – to sell on the black market for 500-each, to other desperate homeowners.
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Meanwhile furious residents on one evacuated, flood-stricken Carlisle street have revealed four of their homes were targeted by “scum” looters.
Cumbria Police have confirmed that two dehumidifiers drying out a family house in Rickerby have been swiped – while another four were taken from
But thieves also stole four humidifiers being used to dry out a flooded home in Crosby-on-Eden, near Carlisle.
Hairdresser Barry Ferguson, 70, said he felt “disgusted” that his evacuated house was targeted by looter gangs while he was forced to leave his home due to rising flood-water.
He fumed: “The floods were bad enough, now people are targeting the houses.
“It’s the lowest of the low . They are just scumbags – plain and simple scumbags.”
Neighbour William Davidson, who also left in the wake of the floods, added: “They are just scum.
“It’s just another worry .
We don’t need it.”
Storm Desmond: Floods ‘made worse after hundreds of flood defence schemes shelved’4
One man has already been jailed for stealing property from flood-damaged homes in Carlisle.
Krzysztof Lesny, 30, equipped himself with bolt cutters and a crowbar to target devastated homes in the city’s Greystone Road on 9 December.
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He admitted stealing shelves from a skip and conceded he would have taken more items had he not been arrested.
Sentencing him at Carlisle Crown Court, Judge Peter Davies told Lesny he could expect “no sympathy”.
The court had been told Lesny’s own home in Warwick Road had been flooded during the storm.
In mitigation, he said since taking the furniture he had made a donation to Cumbria’s flood recovery fund.
But Judge Davies told him: “You were going to go into people’s homes and take property.
“Your approach to the flooding was to arm yourself to burgle, to assault people’s misery.”
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References
- ^ flood-stricken Carlisle, Appleby, Cockermouth, Kendal, Keswick and Penrith, (www.telegraph.co.uk)
- ^ recruitment firm Randstat. (www.randstad.co.uk)
- ^ Storm Desmond: River bursts its banks in Glenridding, in pictures (www.telegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Storm Desmond: Floods ‘made worse after hundreds of flood defence schemes shelved’ (www.telegraph.co.uk)
- ^ thetelegraphnews (www.facebook.com)
- ^ Follow @telegraphnews (twitter.com)
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