The city of Carlisle in Cumbria was completely cut off today as severe flooding forced the closure of all routes into the area.
Police appealed for help from boat owners in the area because cars were unable to reach the city centre. People were evacuated from their homes as flood water reached the height of kitchen tables and began to creep upstairs, shops were forced to close and people watched as cars floated past them in the street.
Emergency services were stretched to the limit and Cumbria police called in extra staff to deal with the crisis. The flood water put some fire engines out of action and was so extensive that fire crews said they had nowhere to pump the water.
Ms Laura Thompson, an assistant at Carlisle Tourist Information Centre, said the floods were so high that she had seen cars being carried down roads by the water. She said: "The area all around Scotch Street is completely flooded and on Warwick Road cars are just floating along the road.
"The police have been asking for people to bring their boats out and if you look out the window in some areas you can see boats bobbing along in the city centre."
The British Environment Agency had a severe flood warning in place for the River Conwy flood plain and the town of Llanrwst in Wales, while in the North West there were also severe flood warnings for River Caldew at Denton Holme and River Eden at Carlisle.
There were a further 81 flood warnings in England and Wales.
In addition, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency had four severe flood warnings on stretches of the rivers Tay, Isla and Teith and 20 flood warnings.
PA