During the floods in January 2005, the pump was driven up to Carlisle from the Fire Service College in Gloucester.

Its first crucial task was to pump out a flooded electricity substation so power could be restored.

A demonstration of the high-volume device took place in Carlisle's Rickerby Park on Thursday lunchtime.

'Extreme fires'

The pump will now be based in Kendal with a trained crew to operate it.

It can also be used for conventional firefighting, and was deployed during the Buncefield oil depot explosion last year.

Councillor Geoff Hodgson, cabinet spokesman for Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, said: "Cumbria's floods have been described as a one-in-250-year event, and everyone hopes nothing like it will happen again.

"But the addition of this equipment to the Cumbria fire and rescue armoury means we'll be better prepared if it does.

"It will also be crucial in extreme fires when huge volumes of water are needed in a short space of time."