One week after being hit by a series of violent storms, severe weather and record rainfall have continued to flood many towns in northern England.

Officials say nearly 13 inches of rain has fallen in some parts of the region.

"Fortunately, the already saturated soils in those more southerly regions have not been hit as hard by the latest round of precipitation." Risk Modeling firm AIR Worldwide told the Insurance Journal.

Meanwhile, experts continued to inspect the safety of 1,800 bridges after four of them collapsed.

Cumbria police officer Bill Barker was killed when a major bridge gave way.

"Bill is a hero who died saving the lives of others," Cumbria Police Chief Craig Mackey told Britain's Press Association.

Thirteen bridges have been closed and residents are now being warned to refrain from crossing other bridges in the area.

It has been estimated that about a thousand homes in the popular Lake District area have flooded.