Rescue workers carry an elderly woman out of flood water in Keswick, northern England, November 19, 2009. Flood warnings were issued across Scotland, northern England and Wales on Thursday as forecasters predicted further heavy downpours in the next few days. [Agencies]

LONDON: Britain's air force has helped rescue around 200 people stranded by rising floodwaters caused by torrential rainfall in a tourist region of northern England.

Worst hit have been the towns of Cockermouth and Keswick, in England's picturesque Lake District, where authorities say air force helicopters were being used to evacuate people caught in the floods.

More than 8 million people visit the Lake District National Park every year.

The Environment Agency said Friday that hundreds of properties in Cumbria were flooded as the waters rose rapidly last night.

Six severe flood warnings are in place, all in the northern region of Cumbria.