Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has criticised the Environment Agency for its handling of the flooding crisis. 

Mr Corbyn said he planned to question officials about 10 "high volume pumps" the party claims the agency owns but has not deployed to the North. 

The millionaire leader of a campaign for the UK to leave the EU has blamed rules from Brussels for flooding.

Businessman Arron Banks, co-founder of the Leave.EU campaign, used a New Year message to supporters to claim EU rules on dredging rivers were contributing to floods.

More than 100 people evacuated from their homes in Ballater in Aberdeenshire will be spending the night at Victoria Barracks. 

The barracks are where the Queen's security personnel sleep overnight when she is staying at nearby Balmoral Castle.

Local people and businesses have offered help and supplies to make the evacuees as comfortable as possible.

Footage has emerged showing the moment a mobile home swept away by flooding in Ballater, Aberdeenshire, smashed into a bridge and was dragged underneath it.

The mobile home was filmed by Graeme Miller as it made its way down the River Dee.

Watch video here. 

A delivery driver smashed the window of a car to save the lives of two elderly people trapped in rising floodwater.

Gary Brewer used a rock to break the glass and dragged the panicking couple from the car before water levels reached the roof in Sparkwell, Devon.

Police said the situation was only "minutes away from a tragedy".

Read more here

The three severe flood warnings - meaning a possible danger to life - for Croston, Lancashire have been lifted, the Environment Agency, external says.

One of the passengers trapped on a bus in south Ayrshire has spoken to BBC News about being stuck inside.

Phyllis Young said: "The water came in the bus. It came up, just came up and up. 

"Got to the windows, it was just like big waves - you could see the current it was very, very scary. 

"But I have to praise the rescue people. My phone was the only one with a signal so I was in touch with a lady in Glasgow the whole time.

"They kept us all in the bus informed with what was happening which was super."

Dr Pete Fox, the director of land and water at the Environment Agency, who is in Keswick, says conditions are improving.

"We've seen the peaks of the rivers across west Cumbria now, we saw upwards of four inches of rain in the peaks of the Lake District today and that's working it's way down the rivers," he told BBC 5 Live. 

"Most have peaked now, maybe Cockermouth still to peak tomorrow morning, but they're going through now and all of the defences are holding and doing the job they were designed and built for."

Twelve passengers have been airlifted to safety after the bus they were on in south Ayrshire became caught in flood waters.

The emergency services worked throughout the afternoon to rescue them from the Stagecoach bus which became stranded in deep water near Dailly Cemetery.

Rory McAdam, who works at the local garage, told BBC Scotland: "It was floating and it was trapped against the wall.

"The next thing we heard was that the helicopter had arrived to rescue the people off the bus... The helicopter hovered and was lifting quite a few people up at once."

Have you got questions about what is causing the current extreme weather and what, if anything, can be done about it?   

Our science editor, David Shukman, will be holding a live Q&A on the BBC Facebook page from 18:30 GMT. You can post a question for him here, external.

Image source, Getty Images

BBC live page readers have been sharing their pictures of the effects of Storm Frank.

Click here to see a selection of them.

Police say passengers are being helped to safety after this bus got stuck in floodwater in Dailly in south Ayrshire.

Image source, Joanne Clanahan

Image source, Joanne Clanahan

Image source, Joanne Clanahan

Passengers are trapped on a bus near Dailly cemetery in South Ayrshire after the vehicle got stuck in floodwater. 

Police were called to the scene at around 13:35 GMT. Emergency services and a Royal Navy helicopter are also providing support.

"Efforts are ongoing to remove the passengers safely from the bus," police said. 

Gavin Stevenson, the chief executive of Dumfries and Galloway Council, has told BBC News the flooding in his area is unprecedented.

He said: "We're starting to get in to a few of the communities that have been cut off to see what help and support we can give them but it has been unprecedented region-wide so we've really relied on our communities to look after themselves until we can get there. 

"A lot of people are telling me this is the worst they've seen in their lifetime, communities that have never been flooded before, have been flooded for the first time and of course it's really difficult to prepare if you've never been flooded before so that's one of the lessons we'll have to learn for the future."

In parts of County Down, half a month's rainfall fell in just three hours.

According to the Department for Regional Development, the worst affected area was around Katesbridge in south Down, with the heaviest downpours between 04:00 GMT and 07:00 GMT.

Across Northern Ireland as a whole, there was less rainfall overnight but it still amounted to a quarter of the average rainfall for December. 

In total, more than 270 roads were blocked by fallen trees or flooding. 

Some winds had gusts of up 80mph. There are currently 24 roads still blocked.