At least one river burst its banks overnight and thousands of people were told to leave their homes as Storm Franklin moved in.

The River Don burst its banks in Sprotbrough, South Yorkshire on Sunday evening – with police saying that many of the area’s footpaths were under water.

The River Severn also caused concern, threatening to burst its banks with water creeping towards homes in Shropshire, where flood barriers were erected.

Live updates as Storm Franklin strikes UK

The River Mersey was the subject of England’s two severe flood warnings – at Didsbury and Northenden in Greater Manchester.

Didsbury residents close to the river – thought to be more than 400 properties – were told to take immediate action and prepare their properties for flooding.

A rest centre was set up at Didsbury Mosque for those who were told to leave their homes with nowhere else to stay.

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56,000 properties without power

Meanwhile, some 56,000 properties across the UK are without power, with the expectation that the storm could make restoring supply difficult over the coming days.

It comes after Friday’s record power cut, which saw 1.4 million properties lose supply over a 24-hour period.

Ross Easton, director of external affairs at the Energy Networks Association, said: “We’re still making pretty good progress in terms of reconnections, but it’s certainly being hampered by the high winds.”

Flood and wind warnings

As of 2.30am, there were two severe flood warnings in place in England, meaning flooding could bring danger to life; 175 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected; and 172 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible.

Scotland was covered by 18 flood warnings and seven flood alerts, while Wales was covered by 26 flood warnings and 48 flood alerts.

The Met Office issued an amber warning for wind which could cause a “risk to life” in Northern Ireland until 7am, while a milder yellow wind warning covers England, Wales and southwestern Scotland until 1pm.

Train operators warn passengers not to travel

A number of train operators, including South Western Railway and Southeastern Railway, warned passengers not to travel on Monday.

Others announced cancellations to early services, speed restrictions, and said that alternative transport could not be provided for passengers if routes were forces to close due to the weather.

Rotherham Central rail station in South Yorkshire was flooded so badly that its operators said it would be closed until at least Tuesday.

With Franklin following Dudley and Eunice, this is the first time that three named storms have been recorded within seven days since the storm naming system began in 2015.

Franklin is expected to bring gusts of 60mph to 70mph to inland Northern Ireland in the early hours of Monday morning, while 80mph speeds are expected on the coast.

Gales of up to 60mph are expected to sweep the rest of the nation.