Brief respite before more rain sweeps in

Parts of Cumbria worst hit by floods will get some respite from the rain tonight but more bad weather is expected over the weekend, a forecaster said.

Tony Conlon, a forecaster with MeteoGroup UK, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "Tonight is going to be mostly dry with showers moving east but more rain will arrive on Saturday morning.

"It will not be as heavy as it's been over the last two days but it will become quite heavy in the afternoon and it will affect the same areas that have been affected over the last few days."

Residents in Cockermouth have expressed fears that more rain will quickly lead to more flooding if the already-saturated ground is not given time to recover.

Both rivers that run through the town burst their banks after massive rainfall over the last two days.

Alan Smith said: "The thing with the River Cocker is it can fall as quickly as it can rise.

"It's come down four foot from last night but the fells are sodden and if we get any more rain, it will just come straight off and into the river and the level will rise again.

"If we have persistent rain like last night and the day before, we will be back to square one."