ONCE more the flood-hit community of Workington has a fast-working York building firm to thank for helping to get it back on its feet.

Yorkon, the York-based off-site specialist and Portakabin subsidiary, took a record 18 hours to deliver and install a new 13,300sqft purpose-built interim Tesco supermarket on a brownfield site.

Now it is open and trading, operating in addition to Tesco’s main store in Workington, which remains open but was cut off to thousands of people on the north side of the Derwent.

It follows the work of a rapid response team from Portakabin who, as reported in The Press last week, ensured that in only 15 working days two made-in-York GPs’ surgeries replaced ones destroyed in the Cumbrian floods Until now the community in the Seaton and Northside areas of Workington, as well as those along the coast at Flimby and Maryport, faced a detour of up to 40 miles to get to the Workington town centre Tesco after bridges were destroyed or closed following the floods.

Yorkon and main contractors Johnson Construction worked through the night, completing the installation of the store at 6am ready for shop fitting to begin.

Daniel Frith, Tesco development manager, said: “This is the first time we have ever built a store in such a short time.”