News

Rescue efforts were continuing on Thursday night to rescue 200 people stranded by rising floodwater in a northern England tourist town on Thursday evening.

Police in Cockermouth, in England''s picturesque Lake District, said that three RAF helicopters were being used to evacuate people caught in the floods, and the UK Coastguard rescue service were also using dinghies to navigate the flooded streets.

Witnesses said fallen trees were seen floating down the town''s main street and that electricity supplies to 1,145 homes in the area had been lost.

Britain''s Meteorological Office, the UK''s national weather service, said the area had seen a deluge of about 173 millimeters of rain in 24 hours.

The Lake District attracts about 15.5 million visitors each year.

Heavy rain also hit other parts of the UK earlier on Thursday, as the UK''s Environment Agency warned of flooding in large parts of the country.

Gale force winds struck North Wales as severe flood warnings were issued in Cumbria and Wales.

Roads were closed and homeowners in Hawick, in Scotland, prepared to counter potential flooding with sandbags.

High winds and heavy rain were forecast across many parts of Britain on Friday, according to the Met Office.