Crash closes M4 as schools shut amid Storm Babet flooding

Two schools have been forced to close as flooding impacts drivers and railway passengers, with warnings in place.

Dorcan Academy Secondary School in Swindon, Wiltshire, and Naunton Park Primary School in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, have been shut.

Dorset and Wiltshire firefighters have attended five flooded properties and completed five vehicle rescues.

There have been lengthy delays on the M4 after a serious crash involving a lorry between J17 and J18 near Bath.

The eastbound carriageway remains fully closed. One lane westbound between junction 17 for Chippenham and 18 for Bath has now reopened.

The crash happened at around 09:10 BST. Drivers have been asked to avoid the area.

There has been queuing traffic and one lane has been closed due to flooding from J16 (Swindon West) to J17 A350 (Chippenham).

There have been a number of minor crashes on smaller roads, including two on the A419 in Wiltshire. The A3102 near Tockenham is also closed due to flooding.

Rick Mitchell's home in Purton, Wiltshire was flooded. Him and his partner have spent seven years renovating it.

"The house is ruined. It's gutting because we spent the past seven years working together to get it all done and now it's under," said Mr Mitchell.

They had laid underfloor heating throughout the lounge powered by solar panels.

"Everything's filthy. It smells horrible. It's absolutely heart breaking," he said.

Wiltshire councillor Jacqui Lay said homes in Purton had been badly hit.

"The top of the village is flooded and the high street is flowing like a river," she said.

"They're pumping water out of people's gardens into the roads. If you come into the village you may not get back out," Ms Lay added.

"What I've seen today down at the dental factory is similar to what it was like in 2006 and 2007 and it will get deeper and eventually head towards Cricklade, which appears to be dry at the moment.

"I would urge people to stop driving through the village to cut corners," she said.

Avon Fire and Rescue Service issued a warning to drivers travelling in the rainy weather.

A spokesperson said: "Driving in severe weather can be dangerous. In heavy rain, we encourage you to drive slowly and leave plenty of room between you and the vehicles around you.

"Driving too quickly can cause you difficulty if you need to make an emergency stop, and can also cause dangerous levels of spray for vehicles travelling in the opposite direction."

Wiltshire Council roads manager Adrian Hampton said the worst areas affected were in the north of the county.

He said: "We've got our gully tankers up there getting rid of standing water.

"The traffic is diverted from the M4 and is finding its way onto our network, causing a delay in travel."

On the railway, all lines at Swindon are blocked due to flooding near Royal Wootton Bassett.

Train services between London Paddington and Swansea via Bristol Parkway and Cardiff Central will be cancelled.

Services between London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads may be cancelled, delayed or diverted.

The route between Gloucester and Swindon is also closed. Customers have been advised to delay their journeys until tomorrow if possible.

Axminster resident Adrian Robinson, who is visually impaired, said he was "stressed out" at Bristol Temple Meads when his train was cancelled.

"I'm travelling with my wife, who has learning difficulties and she's quite nervous," he said.

"There seems to be cancellation after cancellation, and my understanding is that Cross Country aren't going to put on any buses to get people going further on, and there's a number of us now stranded at Bristol.

"GWR must respond now and get relevant people to a place of safety without any hesitation whatsoever."

GWR spokesperson Paul Gentleman said the company made the decision to not put on rail replacement services from places such as Bristol Temple Meads due to fears passengers would then get stuck on the road network.

"It wouldn't have really been prudent for us to try and put on a rail replacement service that could be caught in the floods and be caught in a road accident like we saw on the M4.

"It would be much better for us to be able to keep those people in a station environment where we are better able to look after them."

He warned of further disruption on Saturday while the flood water recedes from the train lines.

CrossCountry has said it is taking passengers between Bristol Temple Meads and Cheltenham Spa until further notice. Transport For Wales is carrying passengers between Newport South Wales and Gloucester.

Flood warnings are in place across the north of Wiltshire, as amber and yellow weather alerts are in place across the UK due to Storm Babet.

The Environment Agency (EA) said there was a risk of flooding from the River Ray and Swinbourne between west Swindon and Water Eaton, around the River Cole and Dorcan Brook in east Swindon, and at the Upper Thames north of Cricklade and Dauntsey Brook.

Riverside properties are at at risk of flooding, the EA said.

At 10:30, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service said it had received 59 flooded-related calls since 12:00, most of which were not attended, and advice was instead given.

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