A body found in the search for a missing policeman has been confirmed as that of PC Bill Barker.
Police confirmed that the body of a man had been found on a beach in west Cumbria. It was reported that the man was wearing a police uniform, and local police have now confirmed it is the body of the missing policeman.
PC Bill Barker, 44, went missing when a bridge he was believed to be on collapsed during severe flooding in north-west England.
Assistant chief constable Jerry Graham said: "He was directing motorists off the bridge, saving lives, when the tragic incident occurred. He is a valued colleague and friend of many officers and staff within the constabulary - and to those in West Cumbria where he lives and serves.
"This is an extremely difficult time for everyone involved in the rescue operation and all officers and staff continue to work valiantly to ensure the public remains safe."
"This is a terrible tragedy and our thoughts and prayers are with PC Barker's family, friends and colleagues at this extremely sad time.
"Constable Bill Barker was a dedicated professional officer who was doing his utmost to help his local community in the face of a natural disaster and he has paid the ultimate price for his bravery and selfless actions. No words can help those closest to PC Barker at this terribly distressing time but I hope they will find some comfort that the loss of this brave man is mourned by the entire police family throughout the UK," Paul McKeever, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, added.
The heavy flooding in north-west England and Scotland has seen 200 people rescued.
Large parts of the UK have been struck by torrential rain, described by ministers as a "one-in-a-thousand-year event".
Cockermouth has been particularly badly hit by rising water levels, which have reached 2.5m.
At 09:25 GMT on Friday the Environment Agency had four severe flood warnings and 28 flood warnings in place.
Last night police in Cumbria said the water levels would continue to rise in Keswick and Cockermouth throughout the morning. The fire service and RAF rescued 200 people via helicopter in Cockermouth, who were then temporarily housed in a local secondary school.
Prime minister Gordon Brown said: "Our thoughts are with all those who have been impacted by these floods and our thanks go out to the emergency services who continue in their extraordinary efforts to help the people affected."
Cumbria council this morning confirmed that a number of schools in the area had been closed due to the floods.
Flooding was also "treacherous" in parts of Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland, with mid- and north Wales also affected by the severe levels of rain.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) flood rescue team said it had rescued dozens of people from flooded homes in Cockermouth over night.
Forty volunteer RNLI crew and staff from across the north of England and north Wales joined other emergency services in the "mammoth flood rescue operation".
A statement from the RNLI said the teams were still operating in the town centre this morning, where flood water was streaming through the streets at speeds of up to 25 knots. Workington's all-weather lifeboat has also launched to search for possible casualties following the collapse of a bridge in Workington.
Overseeing the RNLI teams from the police command centre in Penrith, RNLI divisional inspector north Andy Clift says: "RNLI teams arrived on scene around 10pm last night. They have worked through the night in horrendous conditions, evacuating people from their homes in Cockermouth."
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