Government announces £50m fund for flood victims

Further heavy rain has made the clear-up after the severe weather in Cumbria and Lancashire more difficult.

The announcement by the government of a £50 million flood has been welcomed by local communities.

Under the plans households and businesses hit by water damage will be able to claim £5,000.

However, there was some concern over how far the money would go.

ITV News correspondent Damon Green reports:

Greg Clark, the Communities and Local Government Secretary, has spoken of how "heartbreaking" the floods have been for local households and businesses affected.

He explained more about how the £50 million will be spent in communities in Cumbria and Lancashire .

ITV News' Political Correspondent Carl Dinnen has more details on how the £50 million fund for families and businesses in flood-hit areas of Cumbria and Lancashire will be used.

• £40 million will come from the treasury reserve, but £10 million will come from the departmental budget.
• £10 million is to go on improving public flood defences and roads.
• £5,000 will go to households to help improve their own flood defences, such as putting in better doors and windows and raising plug sockets.
• Households will also receive £500 each to help with emergency accommodation.
• Businesses affected will also get £2,500 each to help deal with the flooding.

The Treasury has said it would try and improve the way in which this is delivered in future.

Chancellor George Osborne has announced a £50 million fund for families and businesses affected by flooding in Cumbria and Lancashire.

Mr Osborne said families would be able to claim up to £5,000 each from the fund, which will be distributed by local councils.

He added that they are continuing to assess damage to flood defences in the area.

The Chancellor denied claims by Shadow Business Secretary Angela Eagle that £115m had been cut from flood defences this year.

Mr Osborne said: "We're actually increasing the money we spend on our flood defences and it's just not the case that that has been reduced."

Northern and western Britain will be cloudy today with spells of rain which will be heavy at times over the high ground.

Further south, it will be drier with some sunny spells but cloud amounts will be increasing through the course of the day.

It will be windy, with severe gales likely across the northwest, making it feel chilly despite maximum temperatures reaching 12 Celsius (54 F).

Four days on from Storm Desmond, the trappings of modern life like electricity and mobile phone signals are still out of action in parts of Cumbria.

Villages like Glenridding in the Lake District have been more or less cut off from the outside world and it will take months for life to get back to normal.

ITV News correspondent Dan Rivers reports: