The body of an elderly man was found by police in the River Kent, as the storm Desmond wreaked havoc in northern England, local police confirmed Monday morning.

An elder resident in Cumbria, a county in northwest England, was reported to have fallen in the water on Sunday. Officers later located the body in the Kendal area, said Cumbria Constabulary.

Schools and hospitals in parts of northern England have been closed as winds and rain triggered by Storm Desmond swept across north Britain in the weekend.

Thousands of homes are left without power, according to latest reports from local media.

Cumbria, one of the worst-affected areas, has been left with more than 2,600 homes without power. The British army has evacuated residents from their homes in towns of the county since Saturday.

It said more precipitation is expected this week. Electricity North West said that power supply of 55,000 properties in Lancaster was cut because a main substation was flooded by floodwater on Saturday.

Engineers have restored power to all but 300 customers in Lancaster, Morecambe and the surrounding area, Electricity North West said on Monday.

More than 2,600 properties remain without power in Cumbria, where floodwater is restricting access for engineers, it added.

"We will continue to work with the emergency services and our other partners in Cumbria to gain access to our sites and restore power to those still waiting to be connected as soon as the waters have receded and we thank them for their continued support," said Mark Williamson, operations director for Electricity North West.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning of severe weather, saying very quick rain would fall in northwest England and southwest Scotland, which might not cause additional flooding, but will slow down the receding process.