Up to £13m is being set aside to potentially build a new police headquarters for west Cumbria.

The force's current base in Workington may become a long-term casualty of the floods, with a plan in place to possibly shift to another site.

Cumbria Police and the county's crime commissioner are looking into both constructing a new HQ - or extending the stay at the Hall Brow station.

But the current site has been swamped in two of the county's disastrous floods, posing questions over its future.

A 10-year strategy - known as the capital scheme - being worked on by commissioner Peter McCall includes a cash pot of £13m to fight future effects of floods.

Mr McCall's office confirmed land at Lillyhall, on the edge of Workington, is under consideration for any new headquarters.

If such a move were to go ahead it would be the most dramatic consequence yet for the force in the wake of the December 2015 floods.

A spokeswoman for Mr McCall's office said: "The west Cumbria territorial policing HQ is currently provided through a private finance initiative (PFI) contract, which is due to end in 2026-27.

"The current site has flooded twice in the last decade, causing significant disruption to operations.

"The capital scheme recognises the need to make a decision on the future of the police estate in west Cumbria at the end of the contract period."

The west headquarters is the central base for a patch stretching north and east of Wigton and all the way down to Millom.

It covers towns including Whitehaven, Maryport, Cleator Moor, Egremont, Cockermouth and Keswick.

Most of the cash involved is planned to be spent by 2023, meaning any alternative would be lined up ahead of the end of the contract.

The spokeswoman added: "There are options under the terms of the PFI agreement, which will allow continued use of the existing facility.

"These will be explored alongside alternative arrangements as part of a full options appraisal in due course."

PFI is a way of creating "public–private partnerships", where private firms are contracted to complete and manage public projects.

Cumbria Police: The battle their buildings have faced with the floods

Workington's Hall Brow station opened in 2001 to replace the town’s ageing Nook Street station.

But this replacement base was hit in the floods of winter 2009, with damage caused to the reception and cells.

The latest flood in 2015 led to the station losing the use of its ground floor accommodation, including the cells in the custody suit.

There was also flooding, to differing degrees, at stations in Ambleside, Appleby, Kendal and at the county headquarters, near Penrith.

The force has a bad history with floods. Carlisle’s former main station at Rickergate was swamped in 2005.

It was replaced by the Durranhill industrial estate station, which serves as the city's main police base.