Schools and hospital services have been closed in parts of northern England as emergency services continue to battle against the effects of Storm Desmond.

Thousands of homes in Cumbria are still without power while the Army spent a second day evacuating people across Carlisle, Keswick and Appleby.

Heavy rain and winds subsided on Sunday, but more "persistent" downfalls have been forecast later in the week.

Hundreds of residents in Carlisle have been evacuated by emergency service boats

David Cameron said everything was being done to prevent further damage.

The prime minister is due to chair an emergency Cobra meeting on Monday to discuss the response to the flooding.

The government has faced criticism after multi-million pound defences built following devastating floods in 2005 failed to keep the deluge out from people's homes in Cumbria - prompting the county to declare a major incident.

Around 60,000 homes were left without power after a substation was flooded in Lancaster during the storm. Electricity North West said 45,000 homes in Lancaster, Morecambe and the surrounding area had had their supplies reconnected.

(Source: BBC)