'Time's lost meaning' for flood tragedy widow

The wife of a police officer swept to his death during floods says "time doesn't have any meaning anymore" as she marks the 15th anniversary of the disaster that claimed his life.

PC William "Bill" Barker died while searching for casualties near a raging river in Cumbria on 20 November 2009.

He was standing on Northside Bridge in Workington when a section of it gave way underneath him.

The 44-year-old was carried off by the swollen River Derwent below, with his body eventually washed up 10 miles away on a beach in Allonby.

He was nearing the end of his nightshift when he responded to reports a car may have fallen off the bridge.

Marking the anniversary, his widow Hazel says it was left to her "to tear my children's worlds apart" with the news of their father's death.

The 70-year-old says she is "full of a mixture of emotions" as she once again reflects on losing her husband.

She said: "I heard a knock at the door, and I can still hear that knock at the door 15 years later.

"It was a normal Friday morning. I couldn't settle during the night, I don't know why.

"So I came downstairs, laid the mugs on the table, the usual mundane things you do."

Answering the door, Hazel remembers: "I knew something was very wrong, I thought it was somebody had brought Bill home.

"I heard a knock, she asked to come in and I said 'just tell me that he's alright'."

The father-of-four had served for 25 years and had been in the roads policing unit since 1991.

He was checking for people in the water while redirecting traffic off the bridge, as 24-hours of rainfall left some areas under eight feet (2.4 m) of water.

A surge off the Lake District fells flowed down towards Workington and washed away two bridges.

Hazel says it was "so surreal" at the time and her immediate thoughts went to her children sleeping upstairs. The youngest was aged four at the time.

She adds: "I remember us going to Cockermouth, it was like a war zone.

"To see the resilience of Cumbria made me proud to be Cumbrian.

"And the resilience of my kids, they've all grown up now, all making their way in life.

"But it could have been very, very different for them.

"It's been a crazy 15 years for me. Whilst there's been a lot of sadness, there's also been an amazing amount of joy - that's the balance."

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