The government has issued 17 “severe” flood warnings throughout much of the north of England and Wales amid fears large swathes of the country could be several feet underwater.
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People are advised to stay away from swollen rivers and if you are travelling, check the flood risk before you set off.
A further 4,000 homes in Cumbria have had their power cut off as a result of the weather.
Last night the Met Office issued red warnings – its highest for severe weather – for parts of Scotland and north-west England, with transport networks facing major disruption and a number of road closures.
Chief Inspector David McCallum, who is leading the emergency response in the south of Scotland, said: “We have been able to identify potential incidents early and deploy resources to ensure that local people have received the support, resources, advice, information and reassurance that they required”.
Major routes in Scotland including stretches of the M8, A82 and M90 had to be closed, while many other roads were affected by flooding.
Strong winds were also being felt in London.
Around 100 properties have been evacuated in Hawick after the River Teviot burst its banks and the Nith has flooded in Dumfries.
Homes are being evacuated and emergency plans drawn up as thousands of people are warned to take care.
The rescue was made all the more treacherous by storm force winds as Storm Desmond battered the north west of England and south west Scotland.
Heavy rain is expected to continue throughout the night with potential for up to 200mm of rain on already saturated ground.
Desmond is the fourth named storm to hit Britain in recent months.
Penmon coastguard rescue team volunteers helped police officers in the town centre with flood prevention activities and putting down sandbags.
Teams from trunk road operator Bear Scotland were out throughout the night into yesterday morning, dealing with numerous issues of flooding, debris on the road and fallen trees across the north-west.
Storm Desmond has left the country and is sweeping eastwards across the Irish Sea to northern England and Scotland.
Most of these were in the Lake District and Eden Valley, but the severe flood warnings also extended to Corbridge in Northumberland where the River Tyne was at a 10-year high.
Irish Rail was forced to close its Dublin-Sligo line from Longford to Dromod because of flooding.
With further rain forecast throughout Saturday, the river level will remain high.
We are working closely with the emergency services and partners to prepare ahead of the weekend. “Flood levels on the Annan and Esk (Dumfries and Galloway) may also approach record levels”.
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Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said the county’s firefighters dealt with more than 300 calls for help in Lancaster and surrounding areas as flooding hit the Cable Street, Water Street, Chapel Street, Damside Street and St George’s Quay parts of the city centre.
