People trapped in homes and vehicles as floods hit

Jubilee Bridge in Appleby is impassable due to the flooding

Several people have been rescued from homes and vehicles as heavy rain created a number of problems across a county.

Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service came to the aid of five people trapped by flood water in separate callouts on Thursday.

Earlier, Cumbria Police temporarily shut a northbound section of the M6 motorway between junctions 41 and 42, while the A595 near Wigton and roads in Carlisle also faced closures.

Among the waterways covered by 20 Environment Agency flood warnings are the River Caldew in Carlisle and the River Eden in Appleby. Police urged motorists not to try driving through flooding and instead take alternative routes.

The effects of flooding caused the abandonment of a trial at Carlisle Crown Court of a man accused of assaulting and injuring three police officers.

Three jurists were unable to attend because of the weather and, with others unable to serve next week, the jury was discharged and a new trial date was set for June 2026.

Widespread disruption

The fire service said it had been responding to calls since about 02:00 GMT, when the team rescued a person from floods at High Seaton.

Crews later took one person to hospital from a flooded house in Irthington.

A man was rescued from van trapped in near Bolton New Houses, one man was rescued from a car near Wetheral and two people were trapped in a car near Aspatria.

Police said they had received numerous reports of flooding, while Cumberland Council said the following roads have been closed:

• A6071 Longtown Road, Brampton

• Wreay Road at Low Hurst Motorway Bridge

• Barras Brow, Dalston, between Cardewlees Farm Junction and the A595 at Cardewlees

• A69 Hayton, Lane End to Hayton village

The A596 outside the police station on Hall Brow, Workington, and the A595 outside Greenhill Hotel at Red Dial were closed earlier but have since reopened, the council said.

Flimby has been hit by heavy rain overnight

Meanwhile in Maryport, videos taken by resident Lynn Brodie showed a swollen River Ellen and a submerged allotment.

Ms Brodie said she had lived there for more than 25 years but "had never seen the allotments or Crown Park this bad before".

NHS North Cumbria Integrated Care said some staff and patients were unable to reach appointments.

It said its sites were "still operating safely" and asked people who needed urgent care to call NHS 111 for advice.

Over in the village of Thursby, near Carlisle, people have been working to clear drains after heavy rain flooded roads.

BBC reporter Ollie Rawlinson said it was "like a river running through the village".

Roads were submerged in Thursby

In Carlisle the following roads have been shut:

• Kingmoor Road beneath Etterby Bridge

• Viaduct Estate Road at the Castle Way end

• Caldew Riverside and West Walls car parks

Dalston Road outside the crematorium has reopened following an earlier closure.

"If you are traveling this morning, do so with caution and listen to travel updates," police advised.

National Rail said ScotRail, Avanti West Coast and Trans Pennine Express services are being impacted by the weather, with speed restrictions in place between Lockerbie and Oxenholme Lake District.

There are also no trains running between Whitehaven and Carlisle.

Kate Inchbold-Stevens said deep water in Great Corby "completely covered the road"

Kate Inchbold-Stevens was taking her son to school and got caught in the floods near Corby.

She said water "completely covered the road and was very deep", while traffic was "backed up" in Brampton.

"I saw teachers from William Howard School with radios all along the diversion doing a really good job of informing traffic, bus drivers and kids which way to go, making sure people were safe, and kids could get to school."

Flusco household waste recycling centre in Penrith has been closed

Westmorland and Furness Council said standing water was causing issues on the A6 at Plumpton.

It said the road from Plumpton heading west has been closed because the River Petteril has burst its banks, while the B6413 has been shut at Lazonby Bridge because of similar issues with the River Eden.

Flusco household waste recycling centre in Penrith has also been closed.

There was widespread flooding in the county last week which caused major disruption to travel, with more than 265 flooding and drainage issues were reported.