UK Weather: Storm Eva to lash Britain with rain and wind in run up to Christmas Day

While people in parts of the UK brace themselves for heavy rain and wind, the weather remains unseasonably warm

Flooding in Cockermouth after severe rain from Storm Desmond (Getty/Christopher Furlong)

Storm Eva is set to lash Britain with 70 mph winds and torrential rain - prompting fears of further floods in the run-up to Christmas Day.

The Met Office has issued a number of flood and severe weather warnings across Scotland and northern England as forecasts expect rain to be “persistent and heavy”.

In Cumbria, firefighters were called out to eight flooding incidents on Tuesday, rescuing a handful of residents including a 70-year-old woman.

The River Eden burst its banks in Appleby for the second time this month, with main roads submerged in the deluge.

In the village of Glenridding, locals were sandbagging doorways as they braced for further floods. The owners of the Glenridding Hotel, now shut until the New Year, posted on their Facebook page that they were “feeling defeated” after being flooded for a third time. In another post the owners captured video footage of the flood waters passing the hotel's beer garden.

Beer garden starting to recede! Please no more rain

Posted by The Glenridding Hotel on Tuesday, 22 December 2015

A Met Office spokesman said: “After the mild, unsettled start to December it looks likely that this theme will continue through until the end of the year with some spells of windy, wet weather but also drier, brighter periods with some showers.

“Going into Christmas Eve, a low pressure system to the north west of the UK will bring a spell of wet and windy weather for most, with gales or severe gales in the north west of the UK and perhaps locally storm force winds over parts of the Outer Hebrides.”

While people in parts of the UK brace themselves for heavy rain and wind, the weather remains unseasonably warm. Temperatures are expected to fall slightly in the coming days, but in the majority of areas it will remain far from cool.

"There is currently the possibility for further unsettled weather during the festive period which could lead to some disruption in the North of England,” a spokesman for the Environment Agency said.

"We are monitoring the situation closely and will issue further flood alerts and warnings if required."

In September, the Met Office and Met Eireann announced a project to name storms that may be blowing this way in autumn and winter. Thousands of suggestions were put forward and the winning names included Abigail, Nigel, Gertrude, Rhonda, Phil and Steve.

It is hoped that naming storms will help to raise awareness of severe weather and ensure greater safety of the public.

Additional reporting by PA