Farmers are counting the cost of the weekend's violent storms after losing livestock, numerous roofs and even gallons of milk as prolonged power cuts disabled refrigeration units.

At Low Levens Farm, near the River Kent, the Parsons family was horrified to discover that up to seven pregnant ewes had perished in rapidly-rising floodwaters.

"We had the majority of our sheep down by the riverside and we brought them back in during the night," said Katherine Parsons. "But the next morning we realised the fields by the dual carriageway that are a long way from the river had flooded as the dykes had come over. The whole place was just like a sea. It's terrible."

Their neighbours escaped the floods without losing animals but fell victim to the high winds as trees were toppled and corrugated roofs ripped from barns and sheds.

Janet Bland, of Ninezergh Farm next to Levens Hall, said the area looked like a bomb had hit it after the Levens estate lost numerous trees in the storm. The farm itself lost a bit of roof and almost had to ditch a lot of milk after the tanker's way was blocked by trees. But after getting busy with a saw they managed to clear the way.

Meanwhile, at Mountbarrow Farm, on Birkrigg Common, near Ulverston, one sheep was reported dead after the stall it was feeding from was blown over. Two barns also lost their roofs.

Tebay was also seriously hit as the wind ripped through the area. Heather Roberts, of Bybeck Farm, discovered the corrugated iron roof of their lambing shed had been stripped off along with the roofing timbers. The gusts had also toppled two heavy dry stone walls.

Next door, at Raisgill Hall Farm, Steve Dunning and his wife spent a sleepless Friday night sandbagging their home as floodwaters from the River Lune rose around them. The water was kept at bay but then the wind set about its destructive path around the farm.

"At 6am on Saturday morning it was frightening, I have never been out in weather like that. There were things flying about like you wouldn't believe. It was blowing over sheep racks and blowing slates off. It was dangerous."

The resulting power cuts wreaked more havoc as Mr Dunning struggled to ensure a generator could keep meat from spoiling in his chiller. The meat survived but there were more problems as he struggled to get petrol to keep all his generators going as fallen trees blocked roads.

Without the power he needed he could not cool his milk to the four degrees centigrade required to sell it to the dairy. Some 7,500 litres were poured down the drain. At least half is not insured, representing a loss of around £700. Other dairy farmers suffered similar expensive losses as a result of the prolonged power cut.