Homes flooded as UK storms continue
Hundreds of homes have been flooded after torrential rain caused rivers to burst their banks.
With the downpour predicted to continue overnight, the Environment Agency warned that more properties were at risk from the rising floodwater.
Rain battered parts of northern England, north-west Wales and western Scotland.
Worst hit was Cumbria, where main roads were blocked, 21 schools were closed, and scores of people had to flee their homes and take shelter in emergency evacuation centres.
The Met Office said the village of Seathwaite in Cumbria recorded 6.8in (173mm) of rain in 24 hours. Another 5.9in (150mm) could fall on the Lake District's higher fells by noon on Friday. Flooding was also reported in north-west Wales and in Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland.
As night fell, the Environment Agency had in place six severe flood warnings - all in Cumbria - 25 flood warnings, and 51 less serious flood watches. The rain was accompanied by severe gales, with gusts of 65mph to 75mph in western coastal areas and up to 95mph over the mountains.
Not even the Queen escaped the bad weather - she had to keep a firm grip on her hat in strong winds as she arrived at Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire for a service today.
The Environment Agency said hundreds of properties in Cumbria were flooded, with the towns of Cockermouth, Kendal and Keswick worst affected. A spokeswoman said: "The ground's already saturated and the rivers are really high, moving very fast, and with more rain we will likely see more flooding."
Homes in the lower lying part of Keswick were evacuated after the River Greta burst its banks at about 9am, rising to about 5ft (1.5m) higher than normal. Fire crews were called in from surrounding towns to help pump water out of flooded homes and get trapped householders out of their homes.
The town's mayor, Andrew Lysser, said: "It is all hands to the pump, really. The emergency services are well co-ordinated and have been fantastic. The fear is if it stretches out. It is raining now and we have got another 10 hours of rain forecast. The water will still run off the fells and into the valleys."
