Skip to content

Flooding at Exebridge and Bickleigh, Devon

Darren Ninnis Darren NinnisDarren Ninnis
Darren Ninnis said they did not know when the pub would be able to re-open

Pub owners were left stranded in floodwater and cars were submerged as parts of Devon were hit by heavy rainfall.

Several roads were impassable in the Tiverton area as the River Exe burst its banks affecting Oakfordbridge, Exebridge and Bickleigh Bridge.

Darren Ninnis, manager of the Anchor Inn at Exebridge said it had not flooded like this for 10 to 12 years.

He said he and his partner were stuck.

Clair Weaver Flooding at ExebridgeClair Weaver
Cars became almost submerged in the Devon village of Exebridge

He told the BBC that drivers had broken down in flood water at about 08:00 GMT on Thursday and levels had then risen through the morning, leaving their abandoned cars almost submerged.

He said it had been "literally thigh-deep outside" during the afternoon but the levels had then dropped.

"We are effectively stuck," he said.

Darren Ninnis The Anchor In at ExebridgeDarren Ninnis
The Anchor In at Exebridge was left with four inches of water inside, and a depth of "up to three feet" outside

The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for rain across Devon and Cornwall between 21:00 on Wednesday and 17:00 on Thursday and the Environment Agency issued several flood warnings for rivers including parts of the Exe.

Mr Ninnis said "It's far from ideal... Tough times at the moment anyway and it just seems like every which way something's knocking you back at the moment in this industry".

Devon County Council Highways said on Twitter it had closed the A396 at Oakfordbridge, Exebridge and near Bickleigh Bridge.

Other parts of the west of England were also affected by flooding after Thursday's heavy rain.

presentational grey line

Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].