POLITICAL and community leaders have spoken of their elation - and despair - after Cumbria and the UK voted to leave the European Union.

Shockwaves travelled through cities, towns and villages from Gibraltar to the Orkney Islands as a predicted slim victory for the Remain camp failed to materialise.

As stock markets crashed, the value of Sterling plummeted and prime minister David Cameron resigned, there was a plea for calm amid panic about what the future will hold.

So too was there bitterness among many who had fought long and hard for the UK to remain a member of the EU.

The Liberal Democrats' leader and Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron said he was "angry and heartbroken" and accused Mr Cameron and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn of taking the country "over the edge".

"This self-inflicted wound will be Cameron's legacy," he said.

"This is his failing. And when the call went out to Jeremy Corbyn, he refused to answer. Their self-interested political manoeuvring has taken our country to the brink and we are toppling over the edge."

He said Britain was clearly a deeply divided country.

He said: "Nigel Farage's vision for Britain has won this vote, but it is not a vision I share.

"Young people voted to remain by a considerable margin, but were outvoted. They were voting for their future, yet it has been taken from them.

"Even though the result was close, there is no doubt that the majority of British people want us to leave. Our fight for an open, optimistic, hopeful, diverse and tolerant Britain is needed now more than ever.

"Together we can still make the case for Britain's future with Europe, as millions of people voted for it. Together we cannot afford to let that vision die."

South Lakeland, for which Mr Farron is the MP, was the only area of Cumbria to vote remain, with

34,531 wanting to stay as opposed to 30,800 who backed Brexit.

There were claps of applause and scenes of relief among the group of Stronger In count observers when the results were declared by counting officer Debbie Storr just after 3am at Kendal Leisure Centre.

However, those celebrations were rather subdued as results across the country came in during the night, showing expected Remain wins being smaller than predicted and some big Vote Leave triumphs.

The people of Barrow voted to leave the European Union with a majority of 7,660. There were 21,867 votes to leave with 14,207 to remain.

The turnout was recorded as one of the highest in memory as thousands of people came out in their droves to wave goodbye to Brussels.

As ballot papers for both sides of the argument began to stack up, no-one felt confident to call the result but Councillor David Pidduck, leader of Barrow Borough Council, was encouraged by the high turnout. Speaking before the results, he said: "It's looking like a high turnout but whether that's because people want to remain or exit, I'm not quite sure at the moment.

"I think the highest election turnout we've had was around 52 per cent but we've passed that."

Colin Rudd, chairman of the Ukip party in Barrow, was delighted by the result.

He said: “I think it’s a very good result. It’s what we were hoping for all along.

“People were asked if they wanted to be governed by an unelected dictatorship and the people of Barrow said 'no thank you' and for that we have to thank them.”

Councillor Anne Burns, vice-chairwoman of the Labour Party in Barrow, was expecting a disappointing result following a “nasty” campaign.

She said: “It’s not a surprise but I’m disappointed. It’s been a really nasty campaign and it has been an aggressive campaign and I think it’s disappointing. Our communities deserve better.”

Barrow's Labour MP John Woodcock, a Remain campaigner, said although he disagreed with the outcome, the result shows that "people in our communities are not happy... We need to listen to them."

Mr Woodcock also made reference to his ongoing dissatisfaction with his party's leadership.

He tweeted: "Listening to people saying Labour voters decided to opt for Leave as message to Tory Govt. If that's our conclusion then Labour is toast."

Copeland was the last area of Cumbria to be declared because its count did not get under way until 1.35am, after ballot papers had to be verified twice due to a discrepancy over three extra papers which were found during the initial checking process.

When the result was finally declared, the Leave camp polled 23,528 voted with Remain gaining 14,419.

Mark Little, the Leave campaign's Copeland spokesman, said: "This is a superb result and I have been very encouraged that our canvassing has been reflected in the polls.

"We are very appreciative of the support given to the campaign from Copeland and Cumbria as a whole."

Gillian Troughton, a spokeswoman for the Remain campaign, said: "The result is probably what we had been expecting but it doesn't make it any less depressing."