A group of first responders have been applauded for the work they do after helping vulnerable people during the recent storms.

Thanks to Storm Isha and Storm Jocelyn, thousands of people across Cumbria were left without power and left isolated in their homes.

The Appleby and District Community First Responder Group have been kept busy across the week, ensuring that residents could be reached no matter the weather conditions.

They explained: "We worked closely with the British Red Cross this week to visit vulnerable people in our communities who were affected by Storm Isha, some of whom were still without power days later."

The Westmorland Gazette: The responders on a callout during the stormThe responders on a callout during the storm (Image: Appleby & District Community First Responder Group)

The work has not gone unnoticed, with residents in Appleby thanking them once again for their efforts.

One local wrote: "Keep up the great work and all the best to you all."

Another commented: "Thank you for the wonderful work you do."

The Appleby first responders matched efforts of various other groups across the county, including the Eden Neighbourhood Policing Team, who braved the storms to help those who had lost electricity or who had been left stuck due to flooding.

The Westmorland Gazette: Part of the Eden team who helped vulnerable people during storm Isha and JocelynPart of the Eden team who helped vulnerable people during storm Isha and Jocelyn (Image: Eden Police)

By Tuesday, engineers at Electricity North West had restored power to more than 78,000 properties after falling trees, debris and branches caused almost 200 separate sites of damage to the network.

However, 1800 people were still said to be cut off on Wednesday, which meant that the work carried out by such groups as the first responders was vital for a number of locals.

Read more: Appleby 'better than anticipated' after Storm Isha | The Westmorland Gazette

Various parts of Appleby were affected by the flooding, including the local cricket club, thanks to the River Eden reaching a peak level of 3.74 metres during Storm Isha.

Despite this, John Ashman, spokesman for Appleby Emergency Response Group, explained that the situation turned out to be 'better than expected' in terms of a lack of widespread flooding.