Hauliers in Cumbria are among those hardest-hit by flooding, with many roads closed because of rising water levels.
In Workington, Northside Bridge - the main bridge on the A597 into the town - has collapsed, as has the Lorton Bridge, which is near Cockermouth.
Eric Nicholson, director of EW & PA Nicholson in Cockermouth, says he is able to run operations "with very great difficulty".
"The major road in West Cumbria [the A66] has been closed, and our major problem now is we cannot get to Workington. A bridge has gone and now there is a gas leak, and tomorrow is supposed to be bad again. We are obviously trying to keep going, but we usually load for 23 hours on a normal Friday."
Andrew Burridge, director at Tyson H Burridge, which is based on the A595 between Workington and Whitehaven, says that the haulier feels "marooned" by the weather.
He adds: "We are trying to get into West Cumbria, but have had to take much longer routes than we normally would. The (A)591 is shut and the (A)66 is closed at Keswick. This means that in some cases we have to travel 150 miles to do what would normally be an 80-mile journey."
Burridge reveals that even short trips are proving problematic. A regular run from its base to a paper mill ends in Workington. It would normally be a five-mile trip, but it turned into a 20-mile trek during the floods because of detours.
According to the Environment Agency, 314.4mm of rainfall was recorded in the area over 24 hours until 00.45 this morning.
Environment Agency Chairman Lord Chris Smith says: "This is an extremely serious incident. We have seen unprecedented rainfall, with what we believe is a record amount for a 24-hour period in England."