Chard flooding: Somerset County Council say damage was not preventable

Flash-flooding which saw several feet of water enter homes and destroy roads was not preventable, a council has said.

Chard was hit by a deluge of localised heavy rain on Monday which saw raging river water cause major damage.

Somerset County Council member for highways John Woodman said drains and culverts were regularly checked.

"Nothing was going to cope with this. This is not a usual situation, this was a flash flood," he said.

Mr Woodman said overflowing drains were down to the significant rainfall rather than any blockages or issues with drains or culverts.

He said they were still in the emergency phase of clearing up debris and making the roads safe, and when that was completed a full assessment of the damage could be carried out.

"This was an absolute deluge," he said.

"I completely understand how devastating it is for the residents who have been flooded.

"There's a lot of damage and our crews have been out all night and all day. We've got to send our engineers there to find out exactly what needs to be be done."

In the nearby village of Winsham, parish council chairman Jim Everard thanked the community for helping with the clean-up operation.

"There isn't anything you could do except bring shovels, pieces of iron and try to clear the drains with anything we could do," he said.

"It was lovely to see so many people from the village out trying to clear things up."

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said it received about 80 calls and two people had to be rescued by boat after their car got stuck on a flooded road.

A help and information centre for anyone affected is open at Chard's Guildhall.

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