Flash flooding: Major incident declared after heavy rain in south

Flash flooding in parts of southern England has led to a major incident being declared in Somerset.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service (DSFRS) deployed resources in the Galhampton, North Cadbury and South Cadbury areas following heavy rain on Tuesday.

Some homes had to be evacuated due to mudslides and further flooding is possible, the Environment Agency said.

People are being urged not to attempt to drive through flood water.

Some areas saw more than two weeks' worth of rainfall in the space of just a few hours.

Yeovilton in Somerset recorded 35.8mm of rain on Tuesday, compared to the county's usual monthly average for May of 62.5mm.

Somerset Council has set up a rest centre in Marston Magna for people displaced from their homes.

It was a similar picture in other parts of England, with "torrential" rain in Devon causing treacherous driving conditions and damage to homes and businesses.

Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire and Essex also saw heavy rain, resulting in blocked roads and delays to rail services.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said its teams were on the ground checking flood gates and clearing trash screens covering drains and waterways.

"Showers have been forecast for the next two days but as a precaution we urge residents to sign up for flood warnings and continue to monitor the weather reports," the spokesman said.

"There has also been widespread disruption to roads and travel across the area so please check the road situation before setting off on a journey," they added.

But while showers are expected and flood warnings remain in place, all weather warnings for heavy rain have been lifted.

Many factors contribute to flooding, but a warming atmosphere caused by climate change makes extreme rainfall more likely.

The Earth has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began - and temperatures are set to keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.

The village hall in North Cadbury was opened to residents affected on Tuesday night, and about 18 households are thought to have been forced to evacuate.

Rosemary, who has lived in Queen Camel for 75 years, said she had just 20 minutes between receiving a flood warning and the water tearing through her house.

She spent the night sheltering upstairs, as the flood water reached halfway up her walls and was powerful enough to rip up the tarmac outside her home.

It took out all of her mains sockets, while one of her neighbours lost between 100 and 200 chickens.

Bernie Peachey's home was left covered in a brown sludge.

She fled her house at 19:30 BST with nothing but "some night stuff", with the water at thigh height.

"I had no time to do anything, as I switched off the plugs the water was already in," she said.

The current was too strong to even close her front door.

Camelicious, a cafe in Queen Camel, was among the businesses which were flooded.

The cafe, which opened in January, is run by special educational needs charity Able2Achieve.

Area manager Caroline Parker told BBC West: "It's devastation, there's furniture and all the belongings everywhere - the walls are totally soaked, furniture's turned up, stock's been lost.

"Every business is quite sensitive at the moment, what with the rising costs. Being a charity as well, I'm sure it will devastate us."

Ms Parker said the community has been "fantastic" and asked people to give staff moral support during the clean-up effort.

Councillor Sarah Dyke, lead member for Environment and Climate Change at Somerset Council, called the flooding "an extraordinary weather event".

"This has really caused some serious damage, not only to properties but to people's lives."

She thanked the emergency services who "got out and provided a speedy response, knocking on hundreds of doors throughout the night".

She said the council was still assessing the situation and "working hard to identify those people who are affected".

The authority has set up a flood hotline for anyone in need of advice or support.

"People are dealing with this in the most incredible way, communities are really coming together," added Ms Dyke.

The council now plans to work with all villages and towns across Somerset to make sure they have a flood resilience emergency plan.

"These are extreme weather conditions and they're going to become more common due to climate change so we have got to make our communities more resilient," said Ms Dyke.

Somerset Council said the majority of roads had re-opened but the A359 at Queen Camel remains closed as water levels are too high for safe assessment.

DSFRS said: "Please avoid driving through floodwater. If you come into contact with floodwater, please take necessary steps to decontaminate yourself and clothing appropriately."

It told people who found themselves in trouble due to floodwater to call 999.

Somerset councillor for Milverton, Gwil Wren, said blocked drainage caused houses and roads to flood in the thunderstorm.

He said the water had reached 18 inches deep at the height of the flooding.

"We tried to keep the drains clear but I'm afraid around 15 houses have been fairly seriously flooded. Garden walls have been knocked over."

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