Official estimates show a record 340 millimetres of rain fell in the Lake District and northern England in 24 hours.
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‘We are expecting upwards of 2,000 homes and businesses will have been flooded.
Carlisle skipper Grainger also wrote: ‘Anyone affected by the Cumbria floods and need help with anything at all please get in touch and some of the squad can come and help anyone’.
The flood warning for the River Teviot was withdrawn today and power was restored to properties as work continued all day to return residents back to their homes safely.
Floods minister Mr Stewart said the defences had given authorities more time to evacuate people and kept flood levels down. Search teams are trying to find an elderly man thought to have fallen into flood water in Kendal, according to the latest from the BBC.
All outpatient appointments at Royal Lancaster Infirmary, Westmoreland General Hospital and Queen Victoria Hospital on Monday have been cancelled. The Environment Agency’s categorisation for the area remains at “red”.
Asked specifically if the weekend’s chaos could be directly related to climate change, a spokesmanfor the agency said: “Climate change is happening now and we must build resilience and adapt to the changes that are unavoidable”.
Flood waters have started to fall in some areas, but a huge clean up operation is under way.
David Hallows, emergency response manager for North Wales, said: “We would advise anyone whose area could be affected by Desmond to prepare a grab bag of essential items they can take with them if required to evacuate at short notice”.
The village of Braithwaite was left “isolated” after the main bridge connecting it to the rest of the county was swept away by the swollen river.
Jim Renwick walks through his flooded cellar in Hawick, Scotland, after the River Teviot burst its banks after Storm Desmond tore through Britain, bringing strong winds and heavy rain.
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Flooding was so severe in Cumbria that a major incident had to be declared and the Army were called in to help the police, mountain rescue teams and firefighters reach those who were stranded in their homes, as the water rose to waist-height.
