Cumbria hit by flooding after heavy rain

Flooding has brought chaos to parts of Cumbria.

Heavy rain on Thursday caused streams to overflow and drains to back up in Maryport, Flimby and Workington.

The fire service received 220 calls between 17:30 and 22:00 GMT with most reporting vehicles stuck in up to three feet (1m) of water. Many houses were flooded.

Landslips halted trains between Carlisle and Workington, Northern Rail said.

Wigton's Nelson Thomlinson School closed after part of the building was flooded.

The A595 was shut from the Castle Roundabout at Cockermouth to the Thursby roundabout near Carlisle.

Sean Pattinson, of Grasslot, Maryport, told the BBC his street was badly hit.

He said: "All the neighbours were rallying round grabbing sandbags, but the water was just too much. We just couldn't stop it."

Householders put out sandbags to try to stop water entering homes on the main road through Flimby

Streets in Maryport and Flimby were badly hit

A landslip and flooding affected the railway line near Aspatria

Flimby councillor Peter Kendall said people had been surprised by the torrential rainfall.

"There was so much water coming down fast it overstretched everybody.

"In these weeks before Christmas people are going to have major clean-ups and will need all the help they can get."

Andy Brown, the Environment Agency's flood risk manager in Cumbria, said a number of flood warnings had been in place although several were likely to be lifted.

"There were some horrific conditions last night in north and west Cumbria and we saw some really intense rainfall - about 40mm in a few hours.

"Often, the roads and drainage cannot handle that intensity of rainfall and that's why you get flash flooding."

Mr Brown warned further heavy rain is expected in parts of the county over the weekend and urged people to be prepared.

You can follow all the latest news with BBC Local Live: Cumbria.