Iggesund restarts flood-hit Cumbrian board operation

An Iggesund spokesman told Packaging News there had been a problem with the water supply to the Workington facility that meant the board machines had to be shut down on Friday (20 November).

“The water supply was fixed by lunchtime on Monday, the electricity was working and there was no damage to the mill area, so production could start up again,” he said.

The spokesman added that the finishing department had continued to work over the weekend, as it had not been affected.

“I think the biggest impact that our customers will notice will be due to the traffic situation and the road and bridge closures, but overall we can say the flooding has not had a big impact,” he said.

Workington and nearby Cockermouth are reported to have been hit by 314mm of rain in the 24 hours to 12.45 on Friday, said to be a record deluge in England, and further rain over the weekend.

Bridges over the river Derwent have been destroyed, homes have been flooded and PC Bill Barker died after being swept away by the water. The Prime Minister has promised £1m to help those affected by the floods. Click here to see some of ITV’s coverage of the impact of the floods via YouTube.

Alcan Packaging, Innovia Films and Smurfit Kappa also have operations close to the area, but told Packaging News they had not affected by the flooding.

Has your business been affected by the floods? Has there been an impact on incoming and outgoing deliveries? Log in below to let us know, or send an email to packagingnews.editorial@haymarket.com

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