Earlier this week we reported how heavy floods in Carlisle had hit the production of the News & Star and damaged homes of many of the paper's staff.
Worst hit was photographer Paula Paisley, whose family had to be rescued by the emergency services.

Paula and husband Jonathan - a chef - who live with their two sons Lewis, four, and Jos, 18 months, and dog Winston, are now counting the cost of the floods.

They have lost their car, wedding photographs, Christmas toys and books, an old family piano, paintings and artwork collected on trips abroad, their furniture, carpets and electrical goods.

Jonathan said: "The house is in a terrible state and the clean-up operation is going to take a long time. I put some waders on because the water has subsided since Saturday and everything is just floating.

"The TV, video, DVD, all my cookbooks for work, and all the furniture is ruined. It's devastating to see. Some of the things we've lost are irreplaceable.

"The place is just covered in a brown silt."

The family is now staying with Jonathan's parents, who also live in Carlisle.

Paula, (32), left her home at around 8am on Saturday morning to come to work on Dalston Road.

She said: "When I left the house the water was lapping at the front doorstep. I went next door to tell my dad and then I tried to get into the car to go to work.

"The car wouldn't start so I rang work to let them know what was happening and I started walking. By the time I got into work the water was up to my waist and my jeans were soaking wet. I left work almost straight away and headed home. By then the situation was much worse."

Unable to return to her home because of rising water levels, Paula was forced to watch the emergency services rescue her two sons from the upstairs window.

She said: "My main priority was to make sure that Jonathan, Lewis and Jos were safe. I was frightened that they wouldn't be able to get out."

Jonathan said: "Shortly after Paula left, the water started coming through into the hallway.

"I got as many towels as I could and tried to plug the water. Within the next 10 minutes the water had risen by a foot and 10 minutes after that it was at my knees. It was at that stage that I grabbed the boys and the dog and took refuge upstairs.

"I rang my mum and dad to let them know what was going on and to tell them to come and pick the children up.

"Within about two hours the water had risen by about 6ft. It came in surges."

Without a phone upstairs, Jonathan, Lewis and Jos were forced to wait by the window for news of when they might be rescued.

Jonathan said: "Lewis was worried that the water was going to come all the way up the stairs and submerge us."

At around 2pm the boys were handed down from the first floor window into the speedboat.

Paula said: "Jos was just screaming and screaming. He was really frightened. Lewis looked a bit gaunt when he got off the boat but they’re okay now.

"At least the toys can be replaced and we can take more photographs of the kids on holiday on future trips.

"We'd only had the car – a Rover 400 – for a month."

The family had to wait for a few more hours for news of their dog.

Paula said: "Winston was still inside and we were worried how he'd react to the emergency services, but he was okay.

"It's like something out of a movie and it all feels a bit surreal. We had no warning whatsoever."