Dozens of severe flood warnings in place, meaning potential risk to lives
Pooley Bridge collapses
Major disruption on roads and railways and properties without power
Health trusts declare major incident
Updates on Sunday 6 December
Virgin Trains say flooding and a landslip between Preston and Carlisle means services are unable to run between Preston and Scotland in either direction.
They advise passengers intending to travel north of Preston or south from Glasgow and Edinburgh via the West Coast should not attempt to travel today as no replacement road transport will be available.
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Fiona Trott
BBC News
The rain has stopped in Keswick and the flood water has dropped.
There is a lot of wind in the town this morning.
Fridges, freezers, furniture has been flowing down the river here at the River Greta, the mountain rescue teams have been telling me.
However, we're expecting better weather and then the clean up operation will begin.
Lee Macaulay
Journalist, BBC Radio Cumbria
Shaddongate is impassable at the Maltings (pictured).
There is a diversion onto Junction Street.
Keep up to date with all of the travel information here.
Devonshire Walk still inundated with water as shown here.
BBC Travel
There are no train services between Preston and Carlisle this morning due to the severe weather.
Train operators are advising customers not to travel unless they have to.
Emma Borthwick
BBC Radio Cumbria presenter
The Environment Agency says river levels are not expected to peak until after 09:00.
The road to Crosby from the airport road in Carlisle is completely underwater.
BBC Travel
Two exit slip roads are closed on the M6 in north Lancashire due to flooding. Junction 33 for the A6 Galgate and Junction 34 for the A683 Lancaster are both affected.
Here are details of the eight reception areas open in Cumbria, external.
They include Appleby, Carlisle, Cockermouth, Kendal, Keswick, Penrith, Windermere and Workington.
Police are warning people to stay away from swollen rivers. If you're travelling, check flood risk before setting off and don’t drive through floodwater
Hardwicke Circus in the centre of Carlisle is under water as River Eden bursts it banks.
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Cheryl Corson sent us this photo of the scene at Kingfisher Park off Warwick Road in Carlisle last night.
If you have any photos tweet them to @BBCNewsNE, external with details of where it is but please make sure you don't put yourself in any danger.
Image source, Cheryl CorsonLancashire Fire and Rescue Service said the county's firefighters dealt with more than 300 calls for help in Lancaster and surrounding areas as flooding hit the Cable Street, Water Street, Chapel Street, Damside Street and St George's Quay parts of the city centre last night.
Crews from all over the Lancaster and Morecambe district attended a range of situations including helping cars stuck in floodwater, affected electrics, flooding and road traffic collisions and two fires.
Marco Petagna, a senior forecaster at the Met Office, said parts of Cumbria and Lancashire have been hit with more than a month's worth of rain in just 24 hours - and warned more was on the way.
He said the weather in the North West should improve today, but fresh downpours were forecast for Monday and another weather warning has been put in place.
Mark Williamson, operations director for Electricity North West,has said a substation on Caton Road in Lancaster is fully submerged by floodwater.
Image source, Electricity North WestHe said: "The water has to receed before we can assess the damage. Until we can get in there we won't know.
"We're hoping it will be lunchtime but it could be days before power is restored."
Steven Bell
BBC Cumbria reporter
Military personnel are being brought in to deal with flooding in Carlisle - the Army are out warning and informing residents.
There are still 54 severe flood warnings for Cumbria covering at least the rivers Greta, Eden, Derwent, Cocker, Caldew, Petteril, and Eamont.
Here's the scene currently at West Walls in Carlisle looking down to viaduct car park.
Steven Bell
BBC Cumbria reporter
Hundreds of people in Cumbria have spent the night in reception centres after Storm Desmond swept through the county causing severe flooding.
Cumbria Police declared a major incident yesterday, and many communities have been badly affected by rising waters, including Appleby, Keswick, Cockermouth and Kendal.
In Carlisle, Hardwicke Circus and Caldewgate are underwater.
The Environment Agency says at least 80 properties have flooded across Cumbria, and it's expecting that figure to rise
Emma Stanley
Reporter, BBC News Online
About 55,000 homes in Lancaster are without power this morning after an electricity substation was flooded in last night's heavy rain.
Electricity North West said flood defences upgraded five years ago to cope with a "one-in-a-hundred years flood" were breached late last night.
Fiona Trott
BBC News
I'm in Keswick in Cumbria this morning and the epicentre of Storm Desmond is due to hit Cumbria at about 08:00 and you can actually feel that right now.
The wind is stronger than it was yesterday, the rain seems heavier.
You get the impression though, the flooding may have subsided overnight, because where I'm standing now there would have been flood water. Now you can just see silt.
But the rain is again coming in very, very heavily now.
Here's a summary of what's happening as a result of the heavy rainfall caused by Storm Desmond hitting the UK so far this weekend.
Cumbria has been worst hit, with more than 1,000 people evacuated from their homes in the county and in the Scottish Borders.
More than 50 severe flood warnings are in place, external with water levels expected to peak in Carlisle at about 09:15 GMT.
More than 60,000 residents are without power in Lancaster, Lancashire, and large parts of Cumbria
Eight rescue centres have been opened, external in the county as the emergency services battle against rising flood waters.
Lloyd Watson
BBC Local Live
We'll be bringing you live updates for the North East and Cumbria after Storm Desmond hit parts of the UK.
If you have any photos email us, tweet us @BBCNewsNE, external or @BBC_Cumbria, external or contact us via Facebook, external.