Season of misery: Southwest of England plagued by heavy rain and flooding

December 22, 2012 – UNITED KINGDOM - Hundreds of homeowners across the south west of England are likely to have their festive season ruined with forecasters predicting that heavy rain will batter the flood-hit region until Christmas Eve. Heavy rain has already left Christmas travel plans for millions in tatters while homes and businesses in south-west England were hit by flooding. Rail passengers and motorists faced misery and shoppers also battled difficult conditions on one of the busiest weekends of the year for travel and shopping. The town of Braunton in north Devon was effectively cut off, with homes and shops under water, after the River Caen burst its banks. On the railways, the The Environment Agency has issued 138 flood warnings and four severe flood warnings – meaning life is at risk. Great Western train company advised passengers whose travel was not essential to avoid journeys west of Taunton in Somerset because of flooding and landslips. Arriva Trains Wales told passengers to avoid rail travel in south Wales. Both operators were using road vehicles to transport passengers, but efforts were hampered by a lack of vehicles and flooded roads. East Midlands Trains suspended services between Derby and Nottingham because of flooding, and there were no trains between Stirling and Perth. The Highways Agency said there were a handful of flooding incidents affecting roads, including the closure of the A21 in both directions near Battle, East Sussex. A spokesman said: “There have been isolated weather-related incidents on other parts of our network today but traffic at these locations remains generally free flowing.” Some 14 Football League matches were also postponed due to waterlogged pitches, including the Championship game between Blackburn and Brighton. The Environment Agency said there was a heightened flood risk across Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Bristol, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, West and East Sussex, North Yorkshire, South Wales, Ceredigion and Gwynedd. Despite the rain expected to ease during the day tomorrow, it is expected the region will take another battering of 20mm of rain tomorrow evening and into Christmas Eve. Steven Keates, Met Office forecaster, said: ‘More rain is on its way across the south west and particularly Devon and Cornwall right up into the night and it will only slightly improve in the early hours of the morning. We could well see 25mm of rain. The situation needs to be carefully watched as it will obviously not help the flooding situation at all because the ground is already so saturated it cannot take any more rain.’ Police have evacuated people from their homes in Devon and Cornwall as rising river levels have resulted in ‘numerous properties’ becoming flooded. Conditions are so bad in the south west that train operator First Great Western is advising passengers not to travel. –Daily Mail

contribution by Debs – best wishes