WEST SWAMPED AS HIGH WINDS GIVE WAY TO HEAVY RAIN
PARTS of the Westcountry were on flood alert last night after a weekend of storms and heavy rain first blasted and then swamped the region.
Parts of Somerset were among the wettest places in England yesterday as southern England woke up to warnings of flooding and travel disruption.
Met Office rainfall gauges at Blackpitts Gate in Exmoor show 124mm of rain since Friday – about a month’s worth of rainfall in 42 hours. Wistlandpound in Devon had 102mm and Brendan Hill Farm in Somerset had 99mm over the same period.
Flood warnings were in place for several places across the region, from the river Brue, in Somerset, to the Upper Tamar on the Devon Cornwall border.
In all, the Environment Agency has issued four ‘amber’ flood alerts across Devon and Cornwall – with red warnings in place for other parts of the South West further to the east.
The local amber alerts – which warn “flooding is possible, be prepared” – cover the Upper River Tamar in West Devon and North Cornwall, the Lower Exe and Middle Exe, the Rivers Clyst and Culm, along with much of Exmoor.
It comes as the Met Office extended its amber and yellow weather warnings for heavy rain which cover Devon and the M5.
‘Red’ warnings – which urge immediate action is required – were in place in Somerset for the River Aller, Doniford Stream and Glastonbury Millstream.
The weather warnings had been due to expire by 6am yesterday but were extended until later in the day as the rain continued.
Travellers are warned to expect potential delays today, at the start of the new working week, as the clean-up continues.
Earlier, Storm Alex saw wind speeds of more than 70mph recorded at Berry Head, Brixham, while further east at Swanage in Dorset beach huts were smashed up by high seas driven by the strong winds.
In Cornwall, one of the effects of the high winds and stormy seas was to whip up huge volumes of foam. One beachgoer at Porthtowan said: “We noticed this yellowish line a few yards from the sea all the way across the beach. It was like a wave of foam... it was surreal.”