Major incident declared in Cumbria
Severe weather causes problems in the North East & Cumbria
Dozens of flood warnings in place
Homes flooded and roads shut
Updates on Saturday 5 December
We've come to the end of this live page for today but updates throughout the night can be found here.
BBC Cumbria will be broadcasting throughout the night to keep you up to date on the weather and floods across Cumbria.
You can listen to us live online here or on 95.6FM and you can get more updates by following us on Twitter., external
Cumbria's health services say they are are under pressure this evening as the county faces severe weather.
Many roads are closed and Cumbria Police have urged people not to drive unless absolutely vital.
They say it is also affecting the ability of the county's out of hours doctors to respond. People are urged only to use 999 in a life threatening emergency and call NHS 111 for medical advice.The website www.nhs.uk, external may also be helpful.
If it is safe people are urged to check on vulnerable family, friends or neighbours.
Cumbria Health On Call (CHOC) is also appealing for any available doctors who may be able to offer their support to CHOC to contact them.
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Carlisle city centre is one of 11 areas in the city to have been issued with a severe flood warning by the Environment Agency, external.
There are now 42 severe flood warnings across the North east and Cumbria, 85 warnings and 75 alerts.
Northern Powergrid, the company responsible for running the power network across the North East, external, says it has restored power to around 38,500 customers as Storm Desmond continues to hit the region.
Since 19:00 last night the storm has caused power cuts for around 43,000 customers predominantly in Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear and the Yorkshire Dales.
Image source, Northern PowergridBut engineers are having particular problems in the Barnard Castle and Middleton-in-Teesdale as strong winds are making it unsafe for linesmen to climb to repair the damage caused to overhead power lines by fallen trees and flying debris.
A Northern Powergrid spokeswoman said: “Storm Desmond is continuing to affect the region with strong winds expected to last into the early hours of Sunday morning."
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Northumberland County Council and others have helped evacuate 49 houses in Corbridge throughout the day.
Two severe flood warnings remain in place for the River Tyne at the town.
The North Tyne is already at record levels and is predicted to rise by another metre, the council said.
Image source, George StrachanPaul Hedley, deputy chief fire officer with Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Agencies have been working closely throughout the day to deal with a number of flooding and wind related incidents.
“This will continue throughout the night and I’d like to thank the communities of Northumberland for their co-operation throughout this difficult time."
This is the view from Dan Potts' home on Crosthwaite Road in Keswick.
There are severe flood warnings along the River Greta which flows through the town.
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The River Tees is rising rapidly at Croft, County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service have warned.
Image source, County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue ServiceA spokesman said the weather is affecting the river and urged people to take care.
Croft is currently subject to a flood warning with the Environment Agency saying flooding is expected and immediate action is required.
Flooding from the River Greta in Keswick is causing major problems.
Lee Procter has been photographing the river throughout the day.
Image source, Lee Procter
Image source, Lee Procter
Image source, Lee Procter
Image source, Lee Procter
Image source, Lee Procter
Fiona Trott
BBC News
People can't get in or out of Keswick and the river hasn't peaked yet.
The focus is now on the town's flood defences as the rain continues to fall.
Cockermouth's flood barriers have a "high likelihood" of being breached at 19:00, Cumbria Police have warned.
They said a breach would mean flooding in the town.
A reception centre has been set up at Cockermouth School on Castlegate Drive where residents can receive advice and shelter.
The flooding caused by the extreme weather of Storm Desmond has wrought havoc on the rail system in Cumbria.
Network Rail says there have been many incidents of flooding between Carlisle and Oxenholme and Northern Rail says the West Coast Main Line is closed North of Preston.
It also says the Settle-Carlisle line is closed, and the Cumbrian coastal line is blocked at Ulverston because flood water is above rail height.
Northern Rail is asking its passengers not to travel in the Cumbria area today or tomorrow, external and said because of the weather replacement bus services are "impractical".
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