Floods in 2009 and 2015 were worst in Cumbria for centuries – study

Analysis in north-west England linked to evidence of UK's vulnerability to climate crisis

The floods of 2009 and 2015 in north-west England were the worst for more than 550 years, according to groundbreaking analysis of lake sediment in the region.

Residents have long suspected that the devastating floods were the worst in living memory, but this confirmation - from an analysis of lake sediment layers - provides a unique window on to the history of flooding in one of the wettest parts of England, and reveals the global climate crisis.