All the latest news, sport, showbiz,entertainment,celebrity scandals news, science and health stories from around the world ,latest breaking news and information on the latest top stories, weather, business, entertainment, politics, new video free uncensored leaked celebrity news and more
In shock: Derrick Bird's sons Jamie, 16, and Graeme, 28, outside their mother's home in Cumbria today
Victims: Garry Purdham (left) and Susan Hughes were both killed by Derrick Bird
Shot down: (left to right) Taxi driver Darren Rewcastle, Jane Robinson and mole catcher Isaac Dixon
Wounded but alive: Whitehaven taxi driver Don Reed was shot and injured by Bird
* Killer Derrick Bird had held gun licence for 20 years * Police face questions about why he wasn't stopped sooner * Victims include his own twin brother and family solicitor * Six still in hospital - 2 'stable but serious', 4 'comfortable' * Cameron warns against 'knee-jerk' gun crackdown
Grief etched across his ashen face, the son of mass murderer Derrick Bird today appeared barely able to contain his anguish.
As Graeme Bird spent 90 agonising minutes with his stunned mother Linda - the gunman's ex wife, police were struggling to piece together what turned a 'quiet' cabbie into a killer.
The 52-year-old's bloody spree before he killed himself left 12 people dead yesterday across a string of usually peaceful Lake District towns.
Bird's younger son Jamie, 16, was later also seen outside his mother's home in Lamplugh. His fringe swept across his face, he looked shell-shocked following the events of the last 24 hours. Detectives are now probing claims that the 52-year-old grandfather had been embroiled in a furious feud with his family about his financial affairs.
It appears clashes with fellow taxi drivers may have been the trigger than sent Bird, who was described by friends as a quiet, unassuming man, over the edge.
Forensic officers examine a car containing a body near Seascale after 52-year-old grandfather Derrick Bird's rampage yesterday
Police officers gather close to the site near the village of Boot, where Bird's body was found
On guard: Police officers stand outside the unassuming house where Derrick Bird lived with his mother
Victims: Bird struck across Cumbria leaving 11 dead in a deadly killing spree
Shattered: Floral tributes were also left in a field where farmer Garry Purdham, 31, was shot dead
Misery: Graeme Bird's wife Victoria who had their first child just two weeks ago is close to tears in the car
He apparently had a petty row with rivals over stealing fares the night before the massacre. is said to have stormed off saying: 'There's going to be a rampage tomorrow.' The violence was so widespread and indiscriminate that police had to use a helicopter to find some bodies.
The killings, the worst bloodbath since Dunblane in 1996, has already prompted calls for tightening of Britain's gun laws.
Fellow taxi driver Mark Cooper said there had been long-running tensions between the drivers about some drivers taking customers from the back of the rank but suggested wider financial trouble was probably more to blame.
'That's been going on weeks and months, everybody does it. If you're sitting at number one you could be here for ever. There's a lot more taxis on so it's harder to make a living. Obviously with other financial pressures he had, and his mother being ill as well, it's just got to him,' he said.
Mr Cooper insisted the horrific violence was totally out of character. 'Nothing seemed to bother him. "He'd come down and if he made a pound or made a hundred pounds he wasn't bothered. He used to have a laugh and a joke with you, go for a drink with you,' he said. Police have confirmed that Bird had held a licence for 20 years for both weapons - a 22 rifle and a shot gun - he used on his spree. More than 100 detectives are working on the sprawling inquiry.
They are working on 30 separate crime scenes amid growing questions about why they failed to stop Bird sooner.Critics suggested the death toll could have been much lower if officers had tracked down the rampaging taxi driver more quickly.
Among the messages of condolence left on the website of local paper the Whitehaven News were angry condemnations of Cumbria Police's handling of the tragedy.
Bob Lunn wrote: 'I feel sorry for the people who have died, and the family and friends that they left behind.
'But how was this guy not stopped sooner? I can understand the inevitable two or three people getting shot, but 12 dead?
'The police should have been all over it as soon as there was a reported shooting. Another (sic) other country and this guy would have been taken out hours earlier. The police have a lot to answer for in my opinion.'
Another critic, giving his name as Simon, added: 'What I can't understand is why did it take so long for the police to find the gunman.
'It's been reported that at 10.30am, when the shootings at Duke Street happened, there was an immediate report made to police of the incident and a description of the car and licence plate.
'But somehow the police could not find him and stop him before he killed himself three hours later.
'Fair enough, Cumbria is a big county, but when you've got two police helicopters in the air, and most of Cumbria police mobilised, you wonder why it took them so long.' A Cumbria Police spokeswoman said the force could not comment on the criticism.
David Cameron and Home Secretary Theresa May are due to visit the scenes of the shootings tomorrow.
Today, Bird's eldest son Graham, 28, appeared in public for the first time since the killings to visit his mother in the tiny village of Lamplugh.
He left without making any comment. Yesterday's tragedy came just two weeks after Mr Bird became a father for the first time. It should have been a time of pride and celebration.
Instead, he and his wife Victoria are left to rake over the details of his father's life in a desperate bid to understand the horror that has engulfed them.
The whole family are completely shocked at the turn of events - not least Bird's elderly mother Mary who is said to be utterly distraught.
Relative Joy Ryan, who also lives in Rowrah, said: 'I saw her yesterday and she was just stunned. She just couldn't make sense of it. She kept saying she wanted to talk to them, she wanted to talk to her sons.'
Mrs Ryan was astonished when her cousin was named as the gunman. Like many others, she insisted he was a 'quiet man' who had always been friendly.
'The first I heard was that someone with a gun was going mad in Whitehaven and the news said it was Derrick Bird and I just thought it must have been somebody else,' she said.
THE 12 VICTIMS
DAVID BIRD: Bird's first victim was his twin brother
KEVIN COMMONS: Bird's solicitor was found dead in the driveway of his house in Frizington
DARREN REWCASTLE: Fellow cabbie was killed at the taxi rank in Whitehaven
KENNETH FISHBURN: Killed as he crossed a bridge in the village of Egremont
SUSAN HUGHES: Shot in Egremont as she walked home with her shopping
JAMES & JENNIFER JACKSON: Mrs Jackson was shot in the street in Wilton. Her husband went to look for her and was also killed
ISAAC DIXON: The part-time mole catcher was talking to a farmer when Bird shot him at a field in Carleton
GARRY PURDHAM: A farmer and rugby player, the father-of-two was shot as he trimmed hedges with his uncle in a field near Gosforth
MICHAEL PIKE: Bird killed him as he rode his bike through the village of Seascale
JANE ROBINSON: Shot dead yards from the home she shared with her twin sister, Barrie, in Seascale
JAMIE CLARK: Estate agent, 23, was on his way back from a viewing when he was killed in Seascale
Survivor: Carol Youngs, pictured with her husband Jed, feared she would be killed by Derrick Bird
Shocked: A policewoman stands guard over the body of one of Derrick Bird's victims, a fellow taxi driver, in Whitehaven
Shock: A police officer lays a floral tribute in Whitehaven, close to where Mrs Youngs was confronted by Bird after he shot a taxi driver
Crime scene: Police inspect a taxi cab in Whitehaven, where two people were killed
For several terrifying seconds, Carol Youngs stared directly into the eyes of Derrick Bird and then down the barrel of his gun.
There was no time to think or move. As they returned glances, he pressed the firearm - complete with sight - into his shoulder and took aim.
Mrs Youngs, 48, was leaning over the body of Bird's first victim, a taxi driver, in Duke Street, Whitehaven, attempting to save the man's life, despite his terrible injuries.
Her phone was clamped to her ear as she spoke to an emergency operator. Then the mother of four saw Bird and her heart stopped. Moments later he pulled the trigger and, as the noise of the gunshot rang out, he claimed his second victim of the morning.
The bullet she believes was intended for her hit a passer-by standing on the pavement only feet from where she was crouching.
Showing not a flicker of emotion, Bird - wearing a black fleece and black trousers - lowered the gun and walked away around the corner. It was utterly terrifying,' Mrs Youngs told the Mail yesterday. 'He looked straight at me and fired.
'He seemed so cool and calm. He didn't appear to be agitated. He wasn't shouting at anyone. He didn't even run away. It was just unbelievable.'
Mrs Youngs had left her home for a 10am appointment at the Absolute Beauty salon. She had been there for half an hour when they heard the first gunshot ring out. 'It sounded like a car backfiring,' she said. 'Some of the girls in the shop and the women went to the door and the window. At that time we had no idea what was going on.
'I saw the taxi driver fall to the ground and I just ran out to help him. I thought he'd just collapsed with health problems. I never suspected that he had been shot.
'I ran over to see if he was OK and then realised that a large section of his face was missing. The entire left side of his face was gone.
'I rang 999 straight away and told the operator, "A man has been shot in the face in Duke Street". The woman asked me to check for a heartbeat and a pulse but I couldn't find one.
'He was already dead. There was very little blood, mainly concentrated at the back of his head.
'I looked up and saw the gunman and he looked at me. He seemed so cool and calm. The butt of the gun was resting on the floor and he was holding the top of it.
'He then picked it up and pointed it at me. I shouted, "He's coming back, he's coming back". 'Everyone was screaming and running away. Then he fired. It missed me but hit the guy who was stood just a few feet away. He fell to the ground and rolled over several times.
'When he finally got to his feet his T-shirt, from back to front, was saturated in blood.'
Bird then lowered his gun and walked away. 'He was so cool,' said Mrs Youngs, who works in a children's home in Whitehaven. 'He didn't look angry. He was just so calm.'
She said she cannot be sure that the bullet was intended for her but in that moment she feared she was about to become Bird's second victim. 'I don't know if he was deliberately aiming the gun at me or if he was just letting off one more shot or if he had come back to make sure the guy was dead,' she added.
'I don't think I'll ever know what his intention was but in that moment he looked straight at me.' Mrs Youngs, a grandmother of two, said she leapt to her feet and ran back into the shop.
'I was still on the phone to 999 at the time and I think the last thing I said to the operator was that the police are here.
'One of the people from the nearby sandwich shop had run out and placed two towels over the body.
'The policeman then ran over, took off his fluorescent jacket and laid it over the man's head before running off after the gunman. He shouted, "Get inside and stay inside. Lock the front and back door".'
Mrs Youngs, whose 44-yearold husband Jed is an engineer, said she believed Bird had been at the wheel of his Picasso when he shot dead the taxi driver before parking the car and getting out.
'He was just so relaxed,' she added. 'He quietly went about his business, calmly turned and just walked away.'
Killed: Jane Robinson, 66, was shot after Bird beckoned her over to his car
Killed: Jane Robinson, 66, was shot after Bird beckoned her over to his car
Shot down: Taxi driver Darren Rewcastle was one of the people killed in Bird's shooting rampage
Easy target: Garry Purdham, pictured with his son Flynn, was killed as he worked on a farm
Twelve victims lost their lives at the hands of Derrick Bird during three hours of mayhem. They were:
DARREN REWCASTLE A fellow taxi driver in his 30s described as 'a loveable rogue' by other cabbies, he was shot as he walked to a cafe in Whitehaven.
Well-liked by many who used the town's cab ranks, Bird is believed to have accused him of 'touting' by ignoring queues to pick up fares first.
David Nicholson, 56, said: 'He was a quiet lad, never caused anybody any trouble. He used to love playing on slot machin
KEVIN COMMONS
The 60-year-old local solicitor, who had offices around West Cumbria, is thought to have been shot at his farmhouse near Frizington.
He lived with his wife Helen and ran KJ Commons solicitors with branches in Workington, Whitehaven and Carlisle specialising in probate, clinical negligence and personal injury.
Police are seeking to establish whether Bird targeted him after being represented by him or whether he was picked out at random.
DAVID BIRD Derrick Bird's twin brother, a former mechanic who is believed to have been working as a lorry driver. According to neighbours he was shot in his car close to his home in Frizington.
Friends and relatives said he was far more outgoing than his brother.
SUSAN HUGHES
The 57-year- old was named by neighbours near Egremont as one of the first victims to be picked out at random.
She had two grown-up daughters, one a social worker and the other disabled and wheelchair bound and living in a bungalow nearby.
A neighbour said: 'She was a very quiet and nice person. It has come as a terrible shock.'
KENNETH FISHBURN
Shot dead in Egremont as he returned home from the town centre with his dog.
Aged in his 70s, he was a retired security worker at the nearby Sellafield nuclear power plant. Local Karl Scarr, 44, said: 'He worked on the gates at Sellafield. After he retired I used to see him in town.
'He always said hello, he was a nice guy.' At the scene a card was left saying: 'RIP Ken - tragically taken but not forgotten'.
It was signed: 'your girls and Marc - Ladbrokes'.
JAMES and JENNIFER JACKSON
The couple in their 60s lived in the pretty hamlet of Wilton, near Egremont, and had a grown-up son and a daughter.
Mrs Jackson was a local church stalwart and arranged the flowers for services.
Friend Michael Garstang said: 'We were having a barbecue just last week with the two of them; you couldn't get two nicer people.'
GARRY PURDHAM
A farmer's son and amateur rugby league player whose brother Rob is captain of Harlequins rugby league side, he was fatally shot as he helped his uncle trim hedges in Gosforth.
Aged 31 with two young children, his father John owned Low Boonwood Farm on Gosforth Hill.
The tough forward had played for Workington Town and Egremont Rangers.
David Bowden, chairman of Workington Town Rugby League Football Club, described him as 'quite simply a gentleman and a real pleasure to know'.
He added: 'As a player he was as honest and industrious on the pitch as indeed he was off it.
'He would think nothing of doing a stint on the farm before turning up to play professional rugby league.'
Micheal Pike The retired 64-year-old was blasted as he cycled through his home village of Seascale, his family confirmed last night.
Formerly an active trade union organiser at Sellafield, the grandfather of three lived with his wife Sheena and son Jason, 39.
His son said: 'To the best of our knowledge we think this was a random murder. 'We are well aware my father was not the only person who died today and we feel for all the other people who lost loved ones.'
JANE ROBINSON
The pensioner was well-known in the area for delivering Betterware catalogues and feeding pigeons at Sellafield with her twin sister, Barrie, and ran a bird sanctuary in Seascale.
Friend William Hogg, 51, said: 'She was just a very nice lady. Her and her sister were animal lovers, they kept lots of birds and were known locally as 'the pigeon women'.
'It's a massive loss for Barrie. Neither of them were ever married, they lived together. They were so close.'
OTHER VICTIMS A resident of the hamlet of Carleton thought to have been shot in his vehicle.
Rescuers were desperately searching for a missing police officer today after floods caused a bridge to collapse as parts of northern Britain suffered the heaviest day of rain since records began.
The incident occurred as the rising River Derwent caused the Northside bridge to topple in the early hours of this morning in Workington, Cumbria - the worst hit region of the country.
Police said that 11 people were still unaccounted for as Environment Secretary Hilary Benn described the storms as 'a one-in-a-thousand-year flood.'
More than 200 people in the county who were trapped in their homes by flood waters have been rescued by emergency services after torrential rain caused rivers to burst their banks.
But many more are still stuck and the rescue mission is ongoing as more torrential rain was predicted to fall. Emergency services were searching 10 properties in Cockermouth they had not been able to reach previously.
Many people were forced to break through the roofs of their houses to escape the chaos. RAF helicopters airlifted at least 50 people from buildings in Cockermouth, where police said around 960 homes were at risk of flooding after the fast-flowing River Cocker burst its banks.
Parts of the county have seen more than 250mm (9.8 inches) of rainfall - possibly as much as 300mm (11.8 inches) in some areas.
Another 5.9in (150mm) could fall on the Lake District's higher fells by midday today.
Cumbria Police said the male officer was unaccounted for after Northside bridge, on one of the main routes into Workington on the A597, collapsed overnight, cutting off the gas supply to the town.
A spokesman for the police said: ‘A search operation is under way and we have assigned a liaison officer to support the family.
‘This is an extremely difficult time for the officer’s colleagues, who are still committed to supporting the community and dealing with the flood situation.’
Mr Benn, who is in Cockermouth, said it may have 'the wettest day ever recorded' in the county.
He said that even defences built after the floods of 2005 to withstand a 'one-in-100-years flood' could not cope with the volume of water.
'What we dealt with last night was probably more like one-in-a-1,000, so even the very best defences, if you have such quantities of rain in such a short space of time, can be over-topped,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
John Carlin, owner of the Allerdale Court Hotel, in Cockermouth town centre, said the amount of rainfall to hit the area was 'staggering'.
He said: 'I have lived here for 15 years and have never seen anything like it.
'At two o'clock (yesterday) it was raining heavily but there was nothing here but now there is four feet of water outside my front door. The amount of rain has been staggering.
'It's desperate. The town centre is completely flooded, the only people out there at the moment are the emergency services. The water is up to the waists of the firefighters.
'We are under six inches of water ourselves but we have still got electricity and the fire service have told us they are on standby if they need to evacuate us.
'I can see still see lights on outside. Our hotel electricity is in the cellar, I have tried to seal it up but we've lost it if it fills up.'
Workington MP Tony Cunningham said the flood was 'of biblical proportions' and seen 'once every 1,000 years'.
The Labour MP told Sky News: 'The scale and the force of the devastation in Cockermouth is huge.'
He said it would have taken great force to destroy the Northside Bridge in Workington.
'I went down to the bridge last night and I've never seen the River Derwent as wide as it was.
'The force of the river was absolutely incredible. This is a stone bridge, to wash away a bridge of that size and dimension is incredible.'
Dozens of others were helped to safety by the RNLI, the coastguard, police, fire and rescue and mountain rescue teams.
The army was called in to help with house-to-house rescues as Gordon Brown offered the Government's full assistance in dealing with the disaster.
Flooding was also reported in north-west Wales and in Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland.
The Environment Agency had in place six severe flood warnings - all in Cumbria - 29 flood warnings, and 65 less serious flood watches.
Water levels rose to almost 8ft (2.5m) on the worst affected streets in Cockermouth and two bridges in the area collapsed, police said.
Homes in the lower lying part of Keswick were evacuated after the River Greta burst its banks yesterday morning, rising to about 5ft (1.5m) higher than normal.
Fire crews were called in from surrounding towns to help pump water out of flooded homes and get trapped householders out and take them to emergency evacuation centres.
By the early hours flood water levels in Cockermouth and Keswick had stopped rising, allowing rescuers to reach people trapped in their homes by boat.
Previously swirling currents and debris in the water had prevented boats being deployed.
RAF squadron leader Dave Webster said that with no reports of people in immediate danger the air search and rescue operation was beginning to wind down, though a helicopter would remain on standby.
'Since about 3.30am we haven't conducted any life-saving operations. We have been on standby to move people around various areas,' he said.
'We are going to keep a helicopter on site at Cockermouth for some considerable period to come just to make sure we have the cover there in case it is required.
'There are also mountain rescue teams deployed out there to provide additional assistance where required in and around the Cockermouth area.'
Meanwhile more than 200 Cockermouth residents were spending the night in emergency reception centres at Cockermouth Secondary School, Keswick Convention Centre, Ulverston Victoria Hall School, Penrith Leisure Centre and St Joseph's Secondary School in Workington.
Residents were being warned not to drive or walk through flood water or attempt to unblock drains themselves.
They were also being urged to check on vulnerable friends and neighbours and ensure they are equipped with torches, mobile phones, waterproofs, water, radios with batteries, medication and other essential items.
With the downpour predicted to continue today, the Environment Agency warned that more properties were at risk from the rising floodwater.
Rain also battered north-west Wales and western Scotland throughout yesterday.
The rain was accompanied by severe gales, with gusts of 65mph to 75mph in western coastal areas and up to 95mph over the mountains.
Several main roads in Cumbria were closed, including parts of the A66, A591, the A6 and the A592, and people were advised to avoid all but essential travel.
The AA said it was 'flat out' rescuing stricken cars in north-west England and North Wales.
Richard Westmoreland, the motoring organisation's water rescue technician, said: 'Conditions in Cumbria have been horrendous - the worst I've seen."
Officials worked through last night to put up temporary flood defences for 400 properties in Carlisle, although the Environment Agency admitted that pockets of the city were still at risk. Rescue operations were also under way last night in Eamont Bridge, Low Crosby and Warwick Bridge.
A police spokeswoman said: 'Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service have 16 pumps actively assisting around the county at the moment while three boats are operating in Cockermouth ferrying stranded people to safety.
'Seven Royal National Lifeboat Institution boats are being sent over from the North East to assist emergency services.'
Last night up to 350 homes were also without power in Elliot Park in Keswick where householders have been advised to leave their addresses as the problem may not be fixed for several days.
United Utilities restored electricity to 660 of the homes that were affected by power cuts in the Cockermouth area, police said.
Overseeing the RNLI teams from the police command centre in Penrith, RNLI Divisional Inspector North Andy Clift said: 'Our swift-water-rescue trained volunteer teams, made up of coastal lifeboat volunteers and staff from the charity, were alerted at around 5pm to join the emergency flood response to people in Cockermouth.
'We've gathered our response equipment including inshore inflatable boats, and headed straight for Penrith for briefing. The operational teams are now travelling direct to Cockermouth to prepare four lifeboats to launch into the floodwaters. We've got a further five lifeboats on route.
'The dark and cold conditions won't help, but our teams train year-round to ensure we can respond to the specific conditions faced with swift water flooding, which are different to the conditions our volunteers usually face at sea."
The charity's inshore lifeboats are capable of operating in the current conditions as they have engines strong enough to cope with the speed of the water, the RNLI added.
A HM Coastguard spokeswoman said: "Her Majesty's Coastguard have been continuing to support the emergency services' response to the flooding by co-ordinating rescue assets including our own volunteer Coastguard Rescue Teams. Maryport Coastguard Rescue Team are assisting police in Workington on the border of the River Denham, and Whitehaven Coastguard Rescue Team are working with the RNLI in Cockermouth, providing support and communications to the lifeboats on scene.
'We have also been working with the RAF who currently have three Sea Kings from bases in Valley, Leconfield and Boulmer providing support.'
In the centre of Dumfries in Dumfriesshire, a car park in the Whitesands area flooded when the River Nith burst its banks yesterday.
More than 10 rural roads across the Dumfries and Galloway area were closed due to flooding yesterday, Dumfries and Galloway Council said.
The storm is expected to ease off today as it moves into south-east England, but gales and heavy rain are predicted to return tomorrow.
Forecaster Rachel Vince from MeteoGroup said: "There will be some respite by tonight - by the evening it looks like being dry across the whole of the UK."
Hitching a ride: Mr Outhwaite accepts a lift from a passing lorry driver as the water continues to rise
Flood preparations: Shop owners set up layers of sandbags in Appleby, Cumbria, as heavy rain in northern England, Wales and south-west Scotland is set to continue today
Overflowing: The River Ouse at Naburn, York, burst its banks today
Blowy: The Queen, pictured with the Bishop of Ely, nearly loses her hat as she visits Ely Cathedral
Homeowners in the north of England were facing a clean-up as rising floodwater started to pour into their homes
The River Greta in Cumbria burst its banks, as forecasters warned that the downpour is set to continue in northern England, north-west Wales and western Scotland
A pair of dog walkers get soaked by huge waves in dangerous conditions along the sea wall at Dawlish, Devon
Coastal flooding: Waves crash over the harbour at Porthcawl, south Wales as the sun rises this morning
No-go area: Council workers close a car park today in Dumfries as a high risk of flooding is forecast
# Hilary Benn: Floods could be 'one-in-a-thousand years' event # 11 people still missing and ten homes still to be searched # Water levels rise to eight feet in worst-affected streets # RAF helicopters rescue stranded homeowners from rooftops # Local MP: Flood is 'of biblical proportions'
Rescue: A mountain worker carries a bedraggled woman to safety in Cumbria
Boats were used by mountain rescue workers to ferry residents along flooded streets in Keswick
Pc Bill Barker was swept off a bridge in Workington
Rescuers search for stranded memebers of the public in deep flood water along Main Street in Cockermouth
Residents of Cockermouth climb out of their windows as they are rescued from their homes in dinghys
An aerial view of Cockermouth, Cumbria, submerged in flood water after the town was cut off following torrential rain
Rescue services navigate the flood waters as they move from house to house
Rescuers frantically search the river banks of the river Derwent for a missing police officer who may have been swept downstream of Northside bridge in Workington
Saved: A resident is rescued by a helicopter in Cockermouth after flooding hit the area
Cockermouth was cut off after torrential rain in the Lake District sent the River Derwent over its defences flooding many shops and residential properties
A woman is carried to safety in a dingy in Cockermouth in Cumbria. RAF helicopters airlifted at least 50 people from buildings in the town.
The Queen has praised the work of the uniformed services, volunteers and local councils during the flooding
The Queen has praised the work of the uniformed services, volunteers and local councils during the flooding.
The monarch said in her message: "I have been deeply concerned and saddened by the dreadful flooding across Britain and the devastation it has caused.
"My thoughts and prayers are with all those who have been affected and whose homes and livelihoods have been damaged.
"I would like to express my gratitude for the selfless efforts of the emergency services, military personnel, local authorities and volunteers who are working night and day to assist everyone in these distressing circumstances.
"They have my admiration and heartfelt thanks."
The unprecedented downpours saw more than a foot of rain fall over Cumbria during 24 hours - a record amount for England.
The police officer who died was Pc Bill Barker who would have celebrated his 45th birthday on Saturday.
The officer was directing motorists away from Northside bridge in Workington, Cumbria, when it collapsed and he disappeared into the swollen waters of the River Derwent.
More than 500 people across Cumbria are spending the night in emergency shelters or with relatives and friends after "unprecedented" floods.
Cockermouth and Keswick were worst affected, but communities across the county felt the impact of the deluge.
In Workington, Pc Bill Barker, 44, died when he was swept away as a bridge collapsed as he helped motorists.
The floodwaters have been receding, but 20-30mm of rain is expected to fall from lunchtime on Saturday.
The downpour over Cumbria was the highest level of rainfall measured in England since records began in 1727, according to forecasters MeteoGroup.
The Environment Agency's gauging station at Seathwaite Farm recorded 314mm in 24 hours, exceeding the 279mm in Martinstown, Dorset, in July 1955.
About 1,100 properties have been flooded across the county.
The RAF, RNLI, mountain rescue teams and emergency services, helped move about 300 people from Cockermouth where parts of the town were more than 2.5m (8ft 2in) under water.
Cockermouth School has been housing 110 evacuees and the Sheep and Wool Centre in the town accommodated 100 people.
More than 50 people rescued in Keswick have been taken to the town's convention centre, Skiddaw Hotel and St Joseph's school.
Police have warned people to stay away from bridges after water pressure also destroyed the Southwaite footbridge in Cockermouth and the nearby Lorton Bridge.
Residents, especially children, are being urged to stay out of the floodwater, which contains sewage.
Cumbria Police said emergency services had been evacuating people from their homes on request, but would only be responding to urgent calls during the night.
The Prime Minster is among those who have paid tribute to Pc Barker, who fell into the River Derwent when Workington's A597 bridge collapsed.
The father-of-four had been an officer with the force for 25 years and would have celebrated his 45th birthday on Saturday.
Gordon Brown said: "Police Constable Bill Barker died trying to save the lives of others.
"He was a very heroic, very brave man who will be sorely missed by everybody who was close to him.
"I think we owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude for the service he has shown."
The Queen has praised emergency workers who are still providing support for residents in flooded areas.
She said: "My thoughts and prayers are with all those who have been affected and whose homes and livelihoods have been damaged."
Towns and villages in the south of Cumbria, including Ulverston and Kendal, also experienced flooding.
The BBC Weather presenter Rob McElwee said rain was expected to fall on Cumbria throughout Saturday afternoon.
He said it would not be particularly bad in normal circumstances, but it would be falling on ground that is already saturated.
