A leading Blackburn church figure has told of his experiences, including the loss of his car, in the horrific floods that hit Cockermouth last week.

Martyn Halsall, 62, who is the communications adviser for the Blackburn Diocese, lives just two miles from the flood-stricken Cumbrian town, in the village of Bridekirk, where his wife Isobel, 61, is the vicar at the local church, St Bridget’s.

Early last Thursday Martyn drove into the centre of Cockermouth to have an MOT on his Nissan Micra.

He said: “I dropped the car off at a place called Gote Garage, in the centre of town, close to the river Derwent.

“The weather was obviously deteriorating and around noon I received a call saying the area was being cleared.

“The flood waters then hit and I have heard various reports that my elderly Micra was seen bobbing around the area afloat.”

The affected area has still not reopened but Martyn is hoping to retrieve his almost certainly written-off vehicle in the next couple of days.

Martyn, who has lived in Cumbria for four years, was at pains to stress that he sees the loss of his car as irrelevant next to the human impact that the community has sustained during the past week.

He said: “People have lost their homes, livelihoods and precious possessions.

“The effects have been huge for thousands of people.

“All the different churches in the area have come together with the emergency services and there is a tangible sense of community spirit.

“Terrible events like this bring people together in the best of ways.”