Carlisle left cut off by flood waters
STEPHEN BREEN
THE city of Carlisle was completely cut off by flood waters yesterday as elsewhere in England motorways were closed and thousands of homes left without electricity.
Police appealed for help from boat owners in Carlisle to reach people trapped in their homes after flood water reached kitchen table height and started to creep upstairs.
In Cumbria, the fire service said the level of flooding was "vast", with houses being evacuated in Appleby, Longtown and Shap.
In Northumberland, 40 people were evacuated from their homes in Haydon Bridge to shelter in a village school after the River South Tyne burst its banks.
The Environment Agency issued seven severe flood warnings and more than 100 lesser flood warnings for rivers, while the Highways Agency warned drivers not to venture out unless their journey was essential, following a spate of serious accidents.
The A1M near Darlington, a major route into Scotland, was closed as high winds blew 25 lorries over.
The M6 was closed near Wigan, Lancashire, and at Birmingham, while the M1 was shut near Nottingham following a lorry accident.
The A591 in Kendal was closed due to flooding, part of the A69 was closed, and on the A6 between Carlisle and Penrith flooding was causing severe delays.
The Severn crossing at Bristol on the M48 and the QE2 bridge at Dartford were both closed from midnight because of high winds.
More than 80,000 businesses and homes suffered power cuts in the Midlands, and by yesterday afternoon more than 9,000 were still without electricity.
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