Incredible pictures show scale of flooding devastation as Army sent in to help families
The scale of the flooding in the country has been laid bare in these incredible pictures that show the devastation hitting communities.
Houses and cars across the north have been left saturated after heavy downpours - with more predicted over the next few days.
Responding to the crisis, Boris Johnson said £2,500 would be made available to businesses affected by flooding, while an additional 100 Armed Forces personnel will be deployed to help the recovery effort.
The Prime Minister’s announcement comes after criticism from opposition leaders over the Government's response to the issue.
Severe flooding hit several areas in Yorkshire and the East Midlands last week, with parts around the River Don near Doncaster worst affected after the river burst its banks.
Action after criticism
Mr Johnson chaired a meeting of the Government's emergency committee Cobra on Tuesday afternoon, as pressure mounted on ministers to take action.
Speaking afterwards, he said the country had to "prepare for more floods" this winter because the ground is so waterlogged.
He said: "The worry for me is that there are some people who are continuing not to listen to the advice of the emergency services.
"I would just say to people - the emergency services do have sound advice. When they advise you to evacuate, you should do so.”
Mr Johnson added: "In the next few weeks and months, the rainfall could cause flooding in many parts of the country and we simply have to be prepared.”
He said the authorities are working "flat out" to deliver an adequate response, adding: "I know there will be people who feel that that isn't good enough.
"I know there will be people who are worrying about the damage to their homes, who will be worried about the insurance situation, worried about the losses they face.
"All I want to say to those people is that there are schemes to cover those losses.”
‘Too little, too late’
Shadow Cabinet Office minister Jon Trickett turned the floods into an election issues, saying the Government's action was "too little, too late”.
He added: “You can't trust Boris Johnson to look out for the North or the Midlands or protect our communities from flooding.
"But Labour will provide an extra £5.6 billion in flood defence funding, to level up flood defences over 10 years.
"Every home ruined and every business destroyed demands we act now.”
It comes after Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn branded the Government's response as "woeful", while Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson said it was not taking it seriously enough.
Mr Corbyn said if the flooding had happened in Surrey in the South East, it "would have been a very different story”.
Flood warnings
Thirty-five flood warnings are still in place across England, which sit alongside a further 80 flood alerts - warning residents to be on alert for possible flooding - after heavy rains over the past week.
The warnings and alerts are in place in locations from Somerset and East Sussex in the South, to as far north as the Lower River Nidd near Harrogate in Yorkshire, and the Holderness Drain in east Yorkshire.
Seven flood alerts are also in place in Wales.
More widespread rain is forecast for Wednesday, with the Met Office having issued a weather warning for heavy rain, bringing possible transport disruptions from late afternoon onwards, across south Wales and parts of England's south-west.
Downpours last week meant several areas in Yorkshire and the East Midlands were struck by a month's worth of rain in a single day.
Around half the 700 residents of Fishlake, near Doncaster, left the village and those who stayed behind have faced waist-high floods.