Northern England warned of heavy rain and flooding

Twelve severe flood warnings have been issued for Cumbria and Lancashire, warning people to take immediate action and prepare for flooding.

The warnings, which indicate a possible danger to life, have been issued around the towns of Egremont and Kendal.

The north of England and parts of Wales are warned to prepare for the risk of flooding, as heavy rain approaches.

There are amber warnings, meaning "be prepared", for Greater Manchester, and North and West Yorkshire.

People in certain locations around Kendal and Egremont, on opposite sides of the Lake District, have been advised to move out to stay with family and friends who live in areas with lower risk of flooding.

Reception centres have opened at Kendal Town Hall and West Lakes Academy.

South Lakeland District Council said up to 1,000 properties could be at risk and that military personnel could be deployed to install temporary flood defences to protect vital infrastructure.

The worst of the weather is expected from Saturday evening through to Sunday.

In some places, a month's worth of rain has been forecast to fall in 24 hours.

Falling on already saturated ground, it is likely to cause localised surface water flooding and high river levels, the Environment Agency said.

The Met Office has also warned of possible flooding in parts of Scotland in the wake of Storm Abigail.

Winds and rain are sweeping in across north-west England

Nicola Willis, from the Met Office, said high ground was likely to be most affected by heavy rain.

"These areas have had a lot of rain already this week and they are already quite saturated," she said.

"We are expecting the rain to be heavy and persistent, although the heaviest rain will not necessarily continue through the whole of the warning period."

Environment Agency officers are clearing watercourses

Cumbria was hit by severe floods in November 2009.

During those incidents, Pc Bill Barker, 44, died after the bridge he was standing on collapsed in Workington, a town about 13 miles north of Egremont.

Craig Woolhouse, from the Environment Agency, said it was working closely with emergency services to prepare for any problems.

He added: "Our teams are already in action clearing watercourses, maintaining existing defences and standing ready to deploy temporary pumps and defences where these can be effective."

The latest band of rain comes in the wake of Storm Abigail, which closed schools and brought down power lines in parts of Scotland.

The Christmas lights switch-on in Bradford on Saturday was cancelled because of the weather forecast.