The Government will provide anything needed to help during the flooding which has seen hundreds of people evacuated from their homes, Gordon Brown said today.

The Prime Minister said: “The Government will assist. I have said to the chief constable (of Cumbria police, Craig Mackey) if he needs anything we will provide it.

”I’ve said to (Environment Secretary) Hilary Benn that if there are facilities needed we will make them available.”

He praised the emergency services for the job they were doing.

”We want to do everything we can to help them on what has been one of the wettest and most difficult days in Cumbria that we’ve seen,” he said.

He added: “My thoughts are with the relatives of those people missing at the moment and with the emergency services who are doing an absolutely brilliant job.”

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said: “My thoughts are with everybody whose lives are being affected by these terrible floods.

”It is at these times that you realise how our country rests on the men and women who serve in the emergency services.”