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News & progress
HART TEAMS COLLABORATE IN CUMBRIA FLOODS RESPONSE
20.11.2009
Northside bridge outside Workington, Cumbria where a police officer was missing today after the bridge collapsed during flooding. Photo: PIXEL
The HART team from Yorkshire has joined forces with the HART team and other ambulance staff from North West Ambulance Service as part of the emergency response to the severe flooding in the Cumbria area.
The floods have already claimed the life of one serving police officer, named today as PC Bill Barker, who was swept away when a bridge collapsed in the Workington area where he worked as a traffic officer. He was directing motorists away from the bridge at the time of the collapse.
More than 200 people were forced to leave their homes in Cockermouth overnight, with 50 evacuated by RAF helicopters after flooding cut off access to the town centre.
Yorkshire Ambulance Service HART Manager Mick Hardaker says: “These floods are extremely serious as we have already seen with the sad loss of a serving police officer. Our condolences go out to PC Barker’s family and colleagues. The Yorkshire HART team is in place supporting the North West HART team and we will be operational on day and night shifts over the coming weekend.”