UK Weather: Christmas Day dominated by 70mph gales and more rain

Storm Eva continues to push a wet weather front across Britain

Cumbrian residents prepare for more bad weather ahead of Christmas Day (Getty)

It won’t be a White Christmas for anyone in Britain this year as a new storm front is expected to bring more rain and misery to parts of the UK.

North England and Scotland are expected to be hit by 70mph gales and torrential downpours with as much as four inches of rain expected in regions already soaked from Storm Eva earlier this month.

Cumbria is expected to be hit for the third time this month, as Appleby, Glenridding, Keswick and Kendal residents struggle to protect their homes against rising waters after rivers across the county burst their banks when storm Eva struck.

Liz Truss, Environment Secretary, said 700 agency workers and military personnel would assist locals as well as “looking at what the potential scenarios are”.

"It's a terrible situation for people and it couldn't have happened at a worse time of year and we have got every sympathy for those who are suffering," she told the BBC after chairing a emergency Cobra meeting.

Elsewhere, most of the UK can also expect wind and rain – although not as severely – with the top of Cornwall the only spot in Britain forecast for sunshine, although conditions elsewhere are supposed to remain mild.

This year’s Christmas Day evening will be the first in 38 years to witness a full moon, although extensive cloud cover means you may be lucky if you manage to glimpse it.