It was one of Carlisle's most familiar buildings and tens of thousands of drivers passed it every day.

But now the petrol station at the city's busiest road roundabout has been demolished - the latest sign in the fightback from the floods.

The Shell garage at Hardwicke Circus was deluged with water in December and has been shut ever since.

Contractors moved onto the site this week and began knocking down the forecourt building.

Demolition equipment and diggers were seen on site, with passing pedestrians stopping to watch as the wreckers did their work.

City council planners recently gave the green light for Shell to replace the sales building and revamp the forecourt to provide four new petrol pump islands and a new canopy.

The underground storage tanks will also be replaced.

Shell says the Hardwicke Circus filling station used to dispense "significantly more than the national average for service stations".

The firm added it hopes to open soon.

A spokesman said: “We regret any inconvenience to our customers.”