Storm Desmond: More heavy rain hitting Cumbria

Cumbria is bracing itself for 12 more hours of rain

Heavy rain has hit Cumbria, causing problems on roads, and the village of Glenridding has been flooded.

About 12 hours of rain had been predicted, but it was not expected to be as severe as during Storm Desmond.

Police, military officers and the fire service are working together to help flooded homes in Glenridding.

About 1,000 homes in Cumbria are without power, but Electricity North West said it was working hard to restore supplies.

The Environment Agency said it was closely monitoring river levels, and has issued one flood warning and 13 alerts for the Cumbria area.

Chancellor George Osborne has announced a £50m fund for families and businesses hit by floods.

Affected residents say their houses have been left unsellable and are objecting to paying bills while they stand empty.

Homeowners have been given temporary relief from council tax but Helena Johnson, from Carlisle, said they should be exempt from other bills too.

"I don't really see why I need to be paying for services that I'm not using or even getting at this point," she said.

"My house is without gas, electricity or water. I'm not going to be in my house for a minimum of six months, if not longer."

Water company United Utilities later announced that it would be suspending bills for customers who have had to move out of their homes, and making adjustments for customers needing to use more water than usual for the clean-up.

The deluge brought by Storm Desmond began on 4 December, flooding 5,000 homes in Cumbria and Lancashire and causing widespread damage.

Clean-ups have begun in Carlisle, Keswick and Cockermouth but the Environment Agency said flood warnings may be reissued for those areas as well as Appleby and Kendal.

Alan Hargreaves, from Greystone Road, Carlisle, saw his house inundated both in 2005 and last weekend.

He asked "who would buy any houses" in the affected areas.

"Houses round there cannot be worth any money, who's going to insure them?" he said.

"They've all been flooded in 2005 - they can't be worth anything now, it could happen again."

The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for north-west England and Scotland, with up to 80mm of rain predicted in parts and winds of up to 70mph.

Steve Cleaton, of BBC Weather, said rain would begin to ease off in the early hours of Thursday.

"There is scope for some issues because of the persistent rain but nothing like what it was over the weekend - when there was 36 hours of rain. This will be about 10 to 12 hours", he said.

A severe flood warning is still in place for the village of St Michael's, near the River Wyre in Lancashire, with heavy rain expected later.

Sarah Chaplin Brice, from Low Bridge End Farm at St John's in the Vale, said she had to restore access and infrastructure "before life begins again".

"We haven't got a fence left, we haven't got a gate left. I've got acres of gravel where we should have beautiful grass," she said.

"Our farm road access is gone and the bridge goes to nowhere.

"Where do you go from here?"

Clean-ups have begun in Carlisle and Keswick as the water recedes

The torrential rain has also badly affected travel in the county, with landslips halting trains between Carlisle and Workington.

Northern Rail said some services were open or returning to normal, but urged travellers to check its website or tweet its travel team before setting off.

Cumbria County Council said dozens of roads throughout the county were still closed, including the A5271 Greta Bridge, Keswick, and the A592 Pooley Bridge to Kirkstone road after the collapse of the bridge.

Eden Bridge, which links the north of Carlisle to the city centre, remains closed to all traffic, including pedestrians.

A council spokesman said people were still attempting to cross, causing congestion as they were turned away.

Eamont Bridge near Penrith has been shut again for post-flood inspection.

All three bridges in Appleby are closed, leaving no way of crossing directly from one side of the town to the other.

Cumbria County Council said people moving road closed signs at Middleton Hall Bridge on the A683 between Sedbergh and Kirkby Lonsdale was "very dangerous".

Warwick Road as it was on Sunday, top, and again on Wednesday

Caravans and empty lorries are being asked to avoid using the A66 as strong winds are forecast.

Power has been restored to hospitals in Whitehaven and Carlisle and elective surgery is expected to go ahead as planned.

Live flood warnings from the Environment Agency and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

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One of the Ullswater Steamers was left high and dry when the waters receded

Heavy rain caused a landslip in the hills at Ullswater