British homes earmarked for migrants will go to flood victims instead as local council chiefs tell the Government charity should begin at home 

Flood victims are to be offered homes originally earmarked for refugees from the Middle East.

Cumbria County Council is believed to be the first local authority in Britain to be granted a Government exemption from the requirement to house Syrian families.

It will mean those forced to abandon their homes after last month’s storms in northern England will have priority over refugees from Syria, the Daily Express reported last night.

Rescue workers help a lady and her dog in Carlisle, after heavy rain from Storm Desmond tore through Britain, bringing strong winds and heavy rain which caused Cumbria, on December 6, 2015

Flooded roads in Appleby in Cumbria, as Storm Desmond hits the UK on December 5, 2015

Cumbria County Council announced in November that 30 families fleeing the civil war in the Middle East country had been selected for re-housing in the Lake District.

They had been chosen from camps in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon. But since then dozens of families in Kendal, Cumbria, have been left homeless by the flooding caused by Storm Desmond.

Now the council insists it needs all its available homes for those affected by the floods.

The decision to put the needs of British families first was praised last night by politicians and local residents.

Former Conservative minister Ann Widdecombe praised the council for putting its struggling residents first, and told the Daily Express: ‘This is a positive and perfectly sensible move by the Government to help victims of the terrible floods in the Lake District.

‘It is right and proper that Cumbria County Council be given exemption from the refugee quota because of the pressing needs of the people made homeless by the floods.

‘It is good to see that the Government recognises their needs and is prepared to act.’

Kendal resident Gareth Hooper, 43, also welcomed the plan, saying: ‘Many of my friends have been hit by the flooding and it will scar the area for a long time. I think it is right that we should welcome the genuinely needy refugees from Syria but the Lakes is facing its own crisis too.’

A scene of the rescue teams carrying two young women to safety through the flood water as they continue to evacuate homes after Storm Desmond caused flooding in Carlisle, on December 7, 2015

A county council spokesman told the Express: ‘Before the floods Cumbria was among the first to offer assistance to Syrian refugees.

‘To date, all the refugees that have come to the UK have been successfully allocated to other parts of the country.

‘We will keep this situation under review but obviously our focus has to be on supporting our own communities through these difficult times.’

More than 2,200 residential properties were affected by flooding in South Lakeland – with an estimated 1,800 of them in Kendal.

It is thought that on average people waiting for houses to dry out and to have building work done will be out of their homes for six months.

Families have been turning to South Lakeland District Council for help to find accommodation while their homes are repaired but there are no suitable properties.

Former Conservative minister Ann Widdecombe praised the council for putting its struggling residents first

The council has issued a plea for more offers of ‘affordable’ rented accommodation in the area. It has offers of temporary accommodation in places such as Ambleside and Grasmere, about 15 miles away.

But Methodist community worker Jonny Gios said the families in greatest need have no transport and must stay in Kendal to get to work and get their children to school. ‘These are people who have lost virtually everything,’ he said.

‘We have upwards of 30 families on our database who need help and for various reasons they need to stay in the Kendal area.’

Chief fire officer Jim Onions, who is co-ordinating Cumbria’s response to the crisis, said: ‘We cannot accept refugees for the foreseeable future.

‘We are going to review the position again in March but we are not likely to see any refugees in Cumbria before July.’

Matthew Connolly, who runs a refugee support group, said: ‘I totally understand that there is now a local crisis which eclipses what is happening internationally. We need to lick our wounds and sort ourselves out first.’