UK weather: Boris Johnson says flooding does not amount to a 'national emergency'

Boris Johnson has said flooding in parts of the UK does not amount to a "national emergency", as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called for an inquiry into the floods.

The prime minister visited the flood-hit town of Matlock in Derbyshire on Friday - close to where a woman died in a swollen river.

He thanked members of the emergency services and said the government had allocated £2.6bn for a "huge programme of flood defences and flood preparation".

"But in the end," he added, "you've got to face the reality that places like this are vulnerable to flooding - we're going to see more of it."

The situation "is not looking like something we need to escalate to the level of a national emergency", the PM said.

Seven severe flood warnings remain in place, indicating a "danger to life" - all of them on the River Don in South Yorkshire.

There is a yellow weather warning for rain in eastern Northern Ireland which is in place until 8pm on Saturday.

Another one in England, running from Oxford down to Brighton and Portsmouth, begins at 11am on Saturday and continues for the rest of the day.

But the areas affected by torrential rain in the last day or two - South Yorkshire and the Midlands - should avoid further downfalls on Saturday.

Some areas had a month's rainfall in 24 hours.

Sheffield City Council declared a major incident after the Don burst its banks in some areas.

Off licence owner Farooq Sabir said his business was "knee-high in water" and "trying to salvage anything was just impossible".

Residents in Toll Bar, near Doncaster, said the downpour was "almost biblical".

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service rescued more than 100 stranded people.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called for an inquiry into how the UK's flood defences could be improved.

"My thoughts are with the family of the woman who has died after being swept away by floodwater in Derbyshire," he wrote on Twitter.

"There needs to be an inquiry into these floods and what more should be done to protect communities from the growing risks of flooding."

The Environment Agency said the Peak District had 4.4in (112mm) of rain on Thursday - the highest total of anywhere across England - while flood-hit parts of Sheffield got 3.4in (85mm) during the same period.

The average monthly rainfall total for Yorkshire at this time of year is 3.5in (89mm).

Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said: "Some places have seen a month's worth of rain in one day.

"The rain is easing and moving south but obviously the impact of that will continue to be felt."