Extra soldiers sent to stricken areas

 Some 500 soldiers have now been brought in to deal with "unprecedented" flooding in Yorkshire and Lancashire. A thousand more are on stand-by after David Cameron vowed to help people in "their hour of need". Rescuers have been evacuating homes in York where water levels are still rising, and thousands of people in north-west England are without power. There are scores of flood warnings in England, Wales and Scotland - more than 25 severe, meaning danger to life. On Sunday, the government said it was deploying a further 200 soldiers to affected areas on top of the 300 who were already on the ground. Advertisement After chairing an emergency conference call of the government's emergency committee Cobra, the prime minister said the "level of the rivers plus the level of rainfall has created an unprecedented effect, and so some very serious flooding". "We will do everything we can to help people in this, their hour of need," added Mr Cameron, who is expected to visit some of the flood-affected areas on Monday.