CUMBRIA has been plunged into chaos as torrential rain caused mayhem across the county.

Cancelled trains, flooded roads and school closures have led to major disruption after heavy rainfall laid bare the woeful state of much of the infrastructure and transport links in Cumbria.

The A590, A595, A6 and other main roads were heavily hit ,with flooding also closing parts of the A5087 coast road between Barrow and Ulverston.

More than 20 schools closed early including Dowdales in Dalton, Ulverston Victoria High School, Waberthwaite School and a number of primary schools in and around Ambleside.

Despite efforts to protect the county against future flooding events following major incidents in Cumbria in recent years, investment in the Dragley Beck at Ulverston and elsewhere appears to have been insufficient.

Firefighters were called out to remove floodwater at homes within three hours of the rain coming down as the Environment Agency increased the number of flood and weather warnings.

One commuter attempting to get home to Barrow last night from Preston said the scene was "chaotic".

"There's been no word from Northern (train provider) and everyone is standing around not knowing what to do," he said.

Crowds of passengers were cramped into tiny subways as information from the train provider was lacklustre at best. Northern had failed, last night, to respond to any of the desperate requests for information on Twitter.

The majority of Barrow escaped mostly unscathed although parts of Furness Abbey and the rural roads around it were inundated.

Meanwhile, the Environment Agency bolstered its warnings and at one point warned residents living in and around the River Kent to take "immediate action".

The Lindal Dip on the A590 - recently the subject of extensive flood prevention work - coped relatively well although other parts of the major route into south Cumbria were left partially closed.

Brettargh Holt roundabout, the A6 sliproad and the roundabout at Newby Bridge all struggled to drain the excessive surface water.

The impact on the county of just a few hours' rainfall will no doubt lead many to question if enough has been done since the devastating floods of 2009, 2012 and 2016.