A policeman was feared dead in Brtain after vanishing when a bridge collapsed during floods which followed torrential rain of "biblical proportions" in northwestern areas today.
The officer was swept away as flood defences in Cumbrian towns were overwhelmed by unprecedented downpours that officials said could be expected only once in 1,000 years.
The Environment Agency said 12.4in had fallen within 24 hours in one area, a record for England. The Meteorological Office said the amount of rain expected for all of November had fallen in one day.
"It was described to me this morning, this particular flood, as of biblical proportions," said Tony Cunningham, MP for Workington, one of the worst affected towns, told Sky News.
Cumbrian police said officers searching for Police Constable Bill Barker (44) who disappeared when a bridge in Workington collapsed had now found a body on a beach in West Cumbria and that the man was wearing a police uniform.
"I'm devastated by the events of the last few days and particularly the news this morning that one of our officers is unaccounted for," said assistant chief constable Jerry Graham.
Mr Barker, an officer for 25 years, had been directing motorists off the bridge when it collapsed.
Lifeboats, Royal Air Force helicopters and the military were helping to rescue hundreds of people from their homes in towns and villages across the picturesque Lake District. Media reports said some trapped residents had been forced to smash through their roofs to escape.
Police said more than 250 were now sheltering in rescue centres and more than 1,400 homes were without power.
Britain has been hit by severe flooding in recent years, raising questions about the impact of global warming. Last year Britain saw its wettest summer since records began in 1914 while floods in 2007 affected 55,000 homes and businesses and left an insurance bill of around £3 billion.
The Met Office said there was a better forecast for today but that another 40mm of rain could fall tomorrow.
Officials said there were four severe flood warnings -- where there is extreme danger to life and property -- for northwest England in force and another two in Scotland.
"This is an extremely serious incident. We have seen unprecedented rainfall," said Environment Agency chairman Chris Smith.
One witness in Cockermouth told BBC radio he saw the water level rise rapidly from his top floor window.
"In the space of about 5 minutes, from there being puddles on the main street there was about an inch of water right across it, and then it rose very quickly.
"Within a very short space of time people were wading knee deep and then belly deep. And it was going up so fast it actually got very scary."
Reuters