A number of filling stations have been forced to close by the flooding that has occurred in Cumbria and Lancashire.

There were reports that Shell Hardwick Circus, Sainsbury’s and Tesco in Carlisle had all been flooded, while a site owned by Top 50 Indie Hills Group and AUK’s Prizet Services near Kendal were also affected.

The water at Prizet Services, which has sites on both sides of the A591, covered the forecourt and the road, stranding customers at the site’s Travelodge.

By Tuesday, however, they reported the road had reopened and the site was fully operational after cleaning up some water damage to the stores.

Michael Collin, a director of Hills Group, said its site at Kirkby Thore, on the A66 near Appleby, was flooded on Saturday night but reopened on Sunday.

He said: “The forecourt had a foot of water on it, but the shop has two steps up into it so it wasn’t flooded. All the tank tops and manholes flooded, but there was no water in the tanks and after electrical tests we opened on Sunday morning.”

He said another problem had been closed roads, initially due to flooding, and then where bridges were being checked.

In a statement Certas Energy said: “We can confirm that depots were not affected by the floods in Cumbria and Lancashire. We are operating and delivering normal service to our dealers where access is still possible. For those customers with restricted access, we are in contact daily to assess the situation and we are working with third parties to help in any way we can and re-establish a fuel supply as soon as it is safe to do so."

The Environment Agency has warned that weekend rain is forecast to continue over the North West and flood alerts and warnings are still in place for many areas of the north of England. Environment Agency staff are on the ground with other emergency response staff and military personnel to help people affected.

An additional £51m to support households and businesses affected by the floods has been announced by the Chancellor. This takes the total support pledged by the government to over £60m.

Business rates and council tax relief for affected communities has been announced by the communities and local government secretary.

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