Parts of Cumbria worst hit by floods will get some respite from the rain tonight but more bad weather is expected over the weekend, a forecaster said.

Tony Conlon, a forecaster with MeteoGroup UK, the weather division of the Press Association, said: “Tonight is going to be mostly dry with showers moving east but more rain will arrive on Saturday morning.

”It will not be as heavy as it’s been over the last two days but it will become quite heavy in the afternoon and it will affect the same areas that have been affected over the last few days.”

Severe flooding in the county was driven by a combination of heavy rainfall, saturated ground and swollen rivers.

In excess of 250mm (9.8 inches) of rain fell in some parts of the sodden county, according to Julian Mayes, a forecaster with MeteoGroup UK.

”It looks like a very historical event,” he said. “It may well have broken the record for rainfall in the area in November.”