Torrential downpours have brought flooding to swathes of northern England, forcing people to leave their homes as more than a month's worth of rain fell in 24 hours.

The deluges battered revellers at the Isle of Wight Festival and brought havoc to Cumbria which buckled under the worst of the wet weather. Up to 500 homes were evacuated across the North of England overnight, reports BBC News.

Up to 100mm of rain hit the region overnight, while south-west Scotland, Northern Ireland and Lancashire also experienced unusually heavy rainfall.

Respite from the rainfall is unlikely as forecasters have predicted further showers on Saturday, meaning that many flooded areas will remain swamped.

flooding

Up to 500 homes and businesses were evacuated in North West England

The Environment Agency has issued around 140 flood warnings and alerts in northern regions which are also subject to Met Office severe weather warnings.

Croston in Lancashire was turned into an island when the three roads surrounding the area were cut off by heavy flooding.

Sandbags were distributed and some families spent the night in temporary accommodation after they were evacuated from properties in Lancashire when rivers burst their banks.

Residents of a care home in Todmorden, West Yorkshire had to take shelter on the top floor of their building, after nearby River Calder burst its banks, according to the BBC.

Residents in a flood-hit Lancashire village were starting the mammoth task of cleaning up the damage on Saturday.

Jon Lilley, 32, landlord of the Wheatsheaf, Croston, said he had been forced to send his staff home early so they could escape the village before they were cut off.

The landlord, who has only been in the pub for a year and has recently refurbished it, said: "The water just kept coming closer and closer.
"We tried to wedge the doors as best we could but we lost the battle at about 2am and it came through the sandbags."

The cellar was completely flooded and the water came up around two inches in the pub. He added: "I've lost my beer. My beer is floating. My plants have floated off down the road."


A BBC local radio station reported that in one guest house, the amount of water pressure was so high that sewage was blown from the toilets and facilites up towards the ceiling.

Both Croston and Darwen were evacuated overnight, with camps for residents set up in leisure centres and schools. However many are expected to return on Saturday.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue service said firefighters had been called to Chatburn, near Clitheroe, after four homes were flooded as a result of surface road water, and a home in Newhall Road, Preston, was also affected.

At one point yesterday evening West Yorkshire Fire Service issued a message saying it could only respond to incidents in which life was in danger due to the amount of calls.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue service said 14 homes in Beresford Street, Wigan had flooded, with water up to waist height in places.

Firefighters were called in to clear floodwater in Wigan, helping three people and a dog away from their properties by boat.

Further north, firefighters in the Yorkshire Dales had to rescue a number of people from cars due to flash flooding.

North Yorkshire Fire Service said nine people in three cars were brought to safety on the A684 in the Hawes area.

Earlier in the evening, two women were rescued from a car trapped in floodwater at Carleton, near Skipton.

A spokesman said the initial call was to one car stuck in fast-moving floodwater but other vehicles became involved.

Looking ahead, the worst weather on Saturday is going to be across Scotland, where there is likely to be further heavy rain or thunder storms. But festival goers on the Isle of Wight will be treated to a dry day after yesterday's downpours.

isle of wight festival

Soggy: Revellers put on a brave face during the horrendous conditions

Severe weather warnings remain in place in the North West, East and West Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber, Northern Ireland, Strathclyde, south-west and central Scotland, Lothian Borders, and Tayside and Fife, the Met Office said.

Matt Dobson, senior forecaster at MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said Borrowdale in Cumbria bore the brunt of the bad weather, with an estimated 100mm of rain.

The Environment Agency has 92 flood warnings in place across northern England and 47 flood alerts. There are another three flood alerts in both the South West and Wales.

UK Weather: Rain, Flooding, Doom and Gloom. The British Summer In Pictures
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  • A man shelters from the wind and the rain on June 11, 2012 in Southsea, England. The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for England and Wales for heavy rain and the Environment Agency has issued flooding alerts in more than 30 areas in south-east England, Wales and the Midlands. The UK's unseasonable weather is said to be due to the jet stream bringing low pressure further south than normal and forecasters say the wet and windy weather could continue for the next few weeks. (Photo credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

  • Rain falls onto a icecream vendor's booth on June 11, 2012 in Southsea, England. The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for England and Wales for heavy rain and the Environment Agency has issued flooding alerts in more than 30 areas in south-east England, Wales and the Midlands. The UK's unseasonable weather is said to be due to the jet stream bringing low pressure further south than normal and forecasters say the wet and windy weather could continue for the next few weeks. (Photo credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

  • A jogger braves the wind and the rain on June 11, 2012 in Southsea, England. The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for England and Wales for heavy rain and the Environment Agency has issued flooding alerts in more than 30 areas in south-east England, Wales and the Midlands. The UK's unseasonable weather is said to be due to the jet stream bringing low pressure further south than normal and forecasters say the wet and windy weather could continue for the next few weeks. (Photo credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

  • Visitors to the UNESCO World Heritage site Stonehenge brave the wind and the rain on June 11, 2012 near Amesbury, England. The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for England and Wales for heavy rain and the Environment Agency has issued flooding alerts in more than 30 areas in south-east England, Wales and the Midlands. The UK's unseasonable weather is said to be due to the jet stream bringing low pressure further south than normal and forecasters say the wet and windy weather could continue for the next few weeks. (Photo credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

  • Visitors to the UNESCO World Heritage site Stonehenge brave the wind and the rain on June 11, 2012 near Amesbury, England. The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for England and Wales for heavy rain and the Environment Agency has issued flooding alerts in more than 30 areas in south-east England, Wales and the Midlands. The UK's unseasonable weather is said to be due to the jet stream bringing low pressure further south than normal and forecasters say the wet and windy weather could continue for the next few weeks. (Photo credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

  • A woman wades through water on the A33, which is closed due to flooding in Chineham near Bassingstoke, Hampshire.

  • Standing water on the A33, which is closed due to flooding in Chineham near Bassingstoke, Hampshire.

  • Cars splash through remaining flood water on the A63 outside Leeds after flash flooding in the area last night.

  • Workers survey the water on the A33, which is closed due to flooding in Chineham near Bassingstoke, Hampshire.

  • Standing water on the A33, which is closed due to flooding in Chineham near Bassingstoke, Hampshire.

  • Cars splash through remaining flood water on the A63 outside Leeds after flash flooding in the area last night.

  • A general view of water on the A33, which is closed due to flooding in Chineham near Bassingstoke, Hampshire.

  • Paul Burrow mops the floor in his water damaged kitchen at his home in Swillington, Leeds, after floods tore through the area over the weekend.

  • Gill West mops up after her home was flooded, in Tal-y-bont, Mid Wales, after floods tore through the area over the weekend.

  • A pedestrian jumps over a puddle left by persistent rain in central London on June 11, 2012. Persistent rainfall over much of southern England and the midlands has lead to the risk of flooding with the Met office issuing a severe weather warning. (Photo credit: CARL COURT/AFP/GettyImages)

  • Taxis drive past a puddle left by persistent rain in central London on June 11, 2012. (Photo credit: CARL COURT/AFP/GettyImages)

  • A picture shows the British Houses of Parliament seen through heavy fog and low cloud in London on June 11, 2012. Heavy rain fell over much of the south and central England on June 11, disrupting sporting events like the third Test at Edgbasten and the Aegon Championships and shrouding the captial in a pall of mist and fog. (Photo credit: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/GettyImages)

  • Isle of Wight Festival

  • Isle of Wight Festival