Storm Desmond floods: Further heavy rain expected to hamper recovery efforts in Cumbria

Heavy rain has been forecast for Cumbria on 9 December with up to 12 hours of rain likely to fall overnight on Wednesday. Forecasters have warned that this could hamper relief work that has been ongoing in the region after Storm Desmond caused mass flooding between 4 and 6 December.

The Environment Agency has said that heavy rain will begin on 9 December evening and continue into 10 December, before gradually easing later in the day. Between 20mm and 40mm of rainfall is expected, however, it is not expected to cause flooding of the same magnitude that was witnessed through Storm Desmond.

A spokesperson for the Met Office said: "Please be aware of the potential for further disruption from flooding and to transport. Renewed flooding is possible given the saturated ground and volume of water running through the river network."

Flood alerts are in place in 16 areas across Cumbria and Lancashire, while the Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for rain and wind in parts of Scotland and northern England.

Flooding caused by Storm Desmond resulted in thousands of people being evacuated from their homes and many being left without electricity for days. Up to 5,000 homes in Cumbria and Lancashire were flooded during the storm, which also affected travel across the country.

"River levels are above normal but flooding of property is not expected at the moment," the Environment Agency noted. "Flood defences are now in operation and the situation on site is being constantly monitored."

The army was deployed on 6 December to assist with rescue efforts while Prime Minister David Cameron visited the flood-torn regions on 7 December. He said: "I would like to pay a huge tribute to all those emergency workers and troops who have worked tirelessly to respond to this weekend's events."