UK flooding: New 'danger to life' warning issued for Lancashire as residents face second evacuation

People in St Michaels village forced to leave homes for a second time in a week

Local residents make their way through the flood water as they continue to leave their homes after severe flooding in Carlisle (Getty Images)

The Environment Agency has issued a new severe flood warning in Lancashire, warning of "danger to life" as the crisis across northern England continues.

As Cumbria struggled to recover from unprecedented levels of rain in the past week, continued deluges and high rever levels prompted further flood warnings across the region.

The Met Office issued 77 weather warnings across the north, with swathes of east Lancashire and West Yorkshire affected, while the EA issued a second severe alert for the Lancashire village of St Michaels in less than a week.

At the height of Storm Desmond, the NHS in Lancashire declared a major incident, tens of thousands were cut off from power and many in St Michaels were forced to abandon their homes.

They had only just started returning when the EA issued another of its most serious alerts for the village on Saturday night, meaning those in affected areas must take immediate action due to the danger to life.

That alert has since been lifted, but the agency said two warnings remain in place for the North West region and urged residents to keep checking its website.

Flood warnings in place across England and Wales

Work has been continuing to temporarily fix the breached defences with sandbags and clay but further downpours have halted that progress.

Snow also brought hazardous driving conditions on the M6 at Shap and sections of the A66 and A6.

In Carlisle, soldiers from the 2nd Battalion Duke of Lancaster's Regiment will assist city council staff in carrying out an overnight clean-up of ruined furniture dumped outside homes in the Warwick Road area.

Electricity North West said about 400 properties in Cumbria remain without power due to last weekend's flood damage, with its engineers continuing to carry out door-to-door safety checks.