Residents of Barepot and Hall Park View in Workington are concerned that time to carry out essential dredging work of the River Derwent is running out.

Amanda Wallace, chairman of Workington Flood Action Group, said: “We were promised work would be done in the summer and although there have been consultants looking at the area, no work has taken place yet.

“There is a window when this kind of work can be carried out and that ends at the end of next month.

“I asked if the flood action group could remove the gravel themselves, but if that was the case we would have to apply for a permit to go into the river.”

The Environment Agency, which is responsible for gravel removal, said it was recognised there was a significant amount of gravel.

A spokesman said: “Given the width of the flood plain at this location, these deposits may not reduce the capacity of the river corridor and thereby increase the flood risk. We are also working with landowners to identify increased risk of erosion and vulnerability of infrastructure and property.”

The flood action group was due to meet yesterday for its annual meeting and to discuss flood resilience measures. Mrs Wallace said: “People are extremely worried. We’re in a position where over £6m has been spent upstream of us since 2009 and members feel this has increased the risk of flooding.

“We’re extremely disappointed that the Government hasn’t earmarked any funding for our town. We’ve been overlooked again.

“We’ve had major flooding and no gravel extraction. That combined with lack of river management just increases the risk of flooding.”