A woman has died after becoming submerged in floodwater as parts of England were deluged with a month's worth of rain in a day.

Her body was found hours after she was swept into Derbyshire's River Derwent.

Elsewhere, people have been evacuated from their homes as rivers reached record levels in some areas.

During a visit to the area, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "We need to prepare and we need to be investing in defences."

The Derwent is expected to peak in Derby city centre at 22:00 GMT, while police have ordered the closure of a main route into the city.

The woman was reported to have been swept away by floodwater in Rowsley, near Matlock, in the early hours of Friday and the body was found about two miles away in Darley Dale.

Derbyshire Police said her family had been informed and formal identification was yet to take place.

Mark Hopkinson, who witnessed the emergency operation to find the woman, said he saw police officers and mountain rescuers searching in the area.

"We saw a little drone go up and the coastguard helicopter came, and that was then circling, hovering over some trees," he said.

The heaviest rainfall on Thursday night was at Swineshaw in the Peak District, which had 112mm (4.4in) in 24 hours.

Parts of Sheffield experienced 85mm - just 3mm (0.1in) less than the area's monthly average.

More than 100 flood warnings are in place across England.

The Environment Agency has issued six severe flood warnings for locations on the River Don.

Fran Lowe, from the Environment Agency (EA), urged people to take them seriously "as they represent a threat to life".

"Respond immediately and get out of any place affected by a severe flood warning," he said.

The River Don, which flows through Sheffield, Rotherham and Doncaster, has hit its highest recorded level, at just over 6.3m, higher than it was in 2007 when it also flooded.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said in the past 28 hours crews rescued more than 120 people, with about 1,200 calls to its control room.


In Doncaster:

-Residents in Yarborough Terrace, in the Bentley area, were rescued by boat as waist-high water filled the street
-More than 50 people were rescued from static homes at Willow Bridge Caravan Site since the river overtopped


In Rotherham:

-People were told to stay at home and not leave unless asked to do so by the emergency services
-Firefighters used boats to rescue people who were stranded in the Parkgate shopping centre on Thursday night, with dozens spending the night at the town hall
-The EA said it was using high-volume pumps to move water away from homes in Catcliffe, one of the areas of greatest concern

While visiting Matlock in Derbyshire, Boris Johnson thanked emergency workers and said he was impressed at how people "had pulled together".

He said: "It's businesses particularly who deserve our sympathies and they've had a really tough time.

"You cannot underestimate the psychological effect of flooding on people - it is a big, big blow.

"People have been moved out of their homes and probably hundreds of businesses have seen damage to their properties - we stand ready to help in any way that we can."

The town's mayor, Liberal Democrat David Hughes, said: "Is this an election stunt or is the government concerned for the people of Matlock?

"It's very difficult to determine."

In Derby, flood defences were built on Exeter Bridge as the River Derwent continued to rise.

The A52, the main route into the city from the M1 was one of several roads partly closed due to flooding and many bus services were suspended.

It reached its highest-ever recorded level and is expected to peak at 22:00. Some premises in the city have been evacuated and Derby Theatre has cancelled performances for the night.