Homes flooded and travel disrupted as heavy rain hits Lake District and Cumbria

And more rain is expected, with the Met Office issuing a second yellow weather warning for the region until 3pm today (Friday, October 29).

The warning had initially been amber, but has been downgraded to yellow after water levels in Cumbria's rivers appeared to peak at around 4pm yesterday.

The Environment Agency said it had not received any further reports of properties flooding overnight and added that water levels at lakes and rivers are levelling out.

However, it warned that the rivers Ehen, Derwent and Cocker are likely to rise again later today, but to a lower level.

At this time, there are no trains running to or from Scotland or the Lake District from stations in the North West. Avanti, which operates the West Coast Mainline, said customers can claim a refund for the cancelled journeys.

Phil James from Network Rail told BBC Radio Cumbria that the heavy rain was "widespread" so it was "likely to affect many rail routes over the next few days" and urged people to check National Rail Enquiries for travel details.

Adding to the region's travel problems, the M6 was also closed yesterday at junction 36 northbound towards junction 39 for repairs following a lorry fire on the carriageway at around 7.30am Thursday morning.

But National Highways said the northbound carriageway reopened at around 1am this morning near Shap.

The motorway is back open and running this morning, but bus services have been suspended across the Lake District. Today it has been confirmed that services 77, 77A, & 78's (Keswick to Seatoller & Buttermere circular) will be suspended for the rest of the day.

The Environment Agency has also warned of flooding, with nine flood warnings and around 15 alerts issued in the region.

It said 1,200 properties had been protected from flooding after it shut flood gates and removed debris and blockages from grilles and watercourses.

In the Lake District, the Windermere ferry has been suspended and there are reports of flooding on the road into Borrowdale.

Yesterday, Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team rushed to the help of residents affected by the flooding and volunteers were tasked with rescuing two holidaymakers and their dogs after water levels reached chest height.

The rescue service has urged people to "stay vigilant" in the area today.

"Please keep away from rivers and bridges," said a spokesman. "And don’t drive through flooded water, no matter how innocuous it may look. Turn around, don’t drown."

Updates to follow...

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