ACTION is being taken to try to resolve the flooding problem in Grange-over-Sands, where residents were left to deal with a tide of extensive damage to their properties.

South Lakeland District Council is holding a meeting next month to try to find a long-term solution to the floods after Grange Town Council called for relevant agencies to work together on the problem.

Grange councillors were pleased the flooding issue had been taken seriously, but called for the meeting - planned for the first fortnight of February - to be held in Grange, rather than Kendal.

Several properties, particularly at the foot of Windermere Road, were hard-hit by the sudden onslaught of rain on November 28 last year, after the wettest autumn in the area since records began.

Residents and business owners were left with little time to prevent damage to carpets, furniture, floors and retail stock, and many people felt the authorities could have taken better preventative measures earlier.

One proposal, which was put forward by residents at the time and may be considered at the forthcoming meeting, was to provide a permanent pumping facility in the Ornamental Gardens.

Rainwater currently drains into the Ornamental Garden pond and is then emptied through pipes into the sea.

But at high tide, residents say the pipes do not function properly because they are sealed to prevent sea water flooding in.

Coun Aidan Smith told Grange Town Council: "I would have thought, at some point, there has to be a meeting in Grange.

That's where we should start to look at the problem and the areas which give cause for concern, and work from there.

But if this is just an initial meeting, I welcome it."

Coun Peter Jackson also expressed his disappointment at the proposed location, adding he hoped it would not be inconvenient for people to go to Kendal.

Grange Town Council agreed to ask SLDC's chief executive Philip Cunliffe, who is behind the meeting, for it to be held locally, and Grange Town Mayor Coun Pamela Monkhouse said she hoped a site visit was also on the cards.