A MEMBER of Avon Glen Pipes and Drums was injured in a freak accident at Whitchurch Village Fete.

A MEMBER of Avon Glen Pipes and Drums was injured in a freak accident at Whitchurch Village Fete.

A gust of wind lifted two gazebos from their moorings and they flew through the air towards the band who were playing in the arena.

One of the gazebos knocked Pipe Major Bill Plenty, 81, to the ground.

The former fireman limped from the field, and Mr Plenty, of Whitchurch, who has been in the band for 50 years, said: “The wind caught the gazebo and it took off and decided to clump me.

“I saw it coming towards us and I turned to yell a warning to the band and it hit me.”

He suffered bruising to one of his legs.

It was not the only incident to mar an otherwise successful event, as vandals struck at the flower tent on Wednesday night, causing nearly £1,000 worth of damage.

The fete committee then had to fork out £150 for fencing around the field to prevent any further problems.

The same night, vandals damaged fencing at Whitchurch allotments and superglued the locks at the church hall.

Committee member Peter Edwards said: “The money that we will have to spend to replace the panels in the hired tent comes out of the money that we give out every November to deserving causes and groups in the Whitchurch area – it’s so frustrating.

“It is fortunate that Michael Eavis, who runs the Glastonbury Festival, and Bristol International Airport gave us £500 in sponsorship. If it hadn’t been for them we would have been in trouble.”

Around 3,000 people attended the fete, launched by villager Ashton Broad.

His daughters Sam Parsons and Kimberley Broad are on the flower show committee and his son Oliver also helps out.

The horse show made a welcome return this year and there was also a dog show, birds of prey, a climbing wall and alpacas.

John Silverthorne won the cup for the best overall horticultural exhibit for his tomatoes and he also won first prizes for the largest marrow, best potatoes and single rose. Marcia Devonald won first prize for runner beans.

Libby Brown won the Bert Keep Cup for the best overall children’s exhibit for her painting of a tree.

Whitchurch Village Fete Princess was Emily Payne, 10, and her attendants were Ellie Marshall, nine and Ella-Mae Parsons, eight.

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/Flying-gazebo-hits-Pipe-Major-81/article-2586780-detail/article.html

TORRENTIAL downpours at the weekend saw some areas of Bristol receiving the whole of the average August rainfall within 24 hours.

Flash floods were also expected last night during a bout of stormy weather.

Two pubs were flooded on Saturday after heavy rain.

Bristol would normally get about three inches (80mm) of rain in August.

The Met Office said last night: “There is a high risk of severe weather affecting parts of southern and eastern England during Sunday night and Monday morning.

“Heavy rainfall overnight is expected to give 20-30mm of rain widely and perhaps 50-80mm locally. This rain may be accompanied by gale force winds towards southern and eastern coasts.

“The heavy rain could lead to flooding in some areas and cause disruption to outdoor events and transport networks.”

Thankfully, the forecast for later today through to Wednesday is for sunny spells. Thunderstorms on Saturday and last night meant some places escaped the deluge, while others saw roads turned into sheets of water as drains were unable to cope with the water.

Customers at the Carpenters Arms in Church Road, Wick, helped landlady Jo Thornhill to mop up after the bar area filled with two inches of water.

A fire crew from Speedwell also assisted with mopping and sweeping.

Ms Thornhill said rainwater had run off the ramp from the car park and into the pub.

Firefighters also went to the Ship and Castle in Congresbury, where the rain caused four inches of water to bubble up from the floor in about a minute.

Diners were amazed to see the arrival of the water and then the fire crew.

Owner Helen Thornton said: “This is the second time this has happened since I came here two years ago. It is because the drains in front of the building are collapsing on the roadside.”

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/Pubs-flood-month-s-worth-rain-falls-just-day/article-2557079-detail/article.html

Homes and businesses in parts of Bath were flooded during downpours which brought 30cm (1.2in) of rain overnight.

Homes in London Road and shops in The Corridor shopping complex in the city centre were affected.

Which Watch and Cult were among the businesses hit, Avon Fire and Rescue Service said.

Fire crews were called at 0330 BST and left about an hour-and-a-half later. The damage is not thought to be serious.

In South Gloucestershire, the B4059 between Thornbury and Yate has been closed due to flooding, the Highways Agency said.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-11055457

The Met Office warned of potential disruption for drivers travelling to work on Monday morning

The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning to southern England ahead of heavy rain and possible flash flooding during Sunday night.

As much as 8cm (3in) of rain is predicted across southern England, including East Anglia and the southern Midlands, the BBC weather centre said.

The rain is forecast to fall quickly and onto saturated ground, raising the likelihood of flash floods.

The BBC said the rain would be followed on Monday by gale-force winds.

Its weather centre warned of gusts of wind reaching more than 60 miles-per-hour.

The Met Office said this could mean potential disruption to the Monday morning rush hour and to outdoor events.

‘Branches on roads’

A BBC weather centre spokeswoman said: “We are just starting to see the band of heavy weather coming up along the south coast.

(AS can be seen in this screen shot from Rain Today )

“There is a risk of local flooding, and with the wind there is also the risk of disruption due to loose branches and debris on the roads.”

She added that the heavy weather was more typical of autumn than summer, but that the worst of it was likely to have passed by 0900 BST on Monday.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11051760

At 17:30 yesterday (21st August) a new weather record fell on the weather station. It was the record for heaviest rainfall. The station recorded 7mm per minute (Or an incredible 420mm / hour had it been sustained).

The storm system that caused this can be seen in this screen capture from Rain Today.

Capture of rain radar during severe event on 21st August 2010

The resulting storm led to rainfall of about 20mm in a 15 minute window! This led to another record falling, which was most rain in one hour. This now stands at 19.1mm. The daily rainfall record still remains at 44.6mm from the severe weather of 7th June.

This snapshot of the 24hr weather graph showing yesterdays rain clearly shows the severity of the event.

Graph from 21st August 2010 showing the severity of the rainfall

The Met Office have warnings out for similar events over the coming days.

The Red Arrows were greeted with huge cheers

The organisers of this year’s Bristol International Balloon Fiesta said the event had been a success, despite sometimes poor weather.

An estimated 500,000 people attended the festival at Ashton Court over four days, with over 100,000 present at Saturday’s night glow.

It came to an end on Sunday evening, with the launch of 56 balloons in the second mass ascent of the fiesta.

Organisers thanked the “loyal crowds” and the event’s sponsors.

Eighty one balloons took off on Friday morning, but flights on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening were cancelled.

Low cloud and winds also put a stop to Sunday morning’s planned mass ascent, but the weather improved, allowing the evening launch to go ahead.

The venue was filled to capacity as more than 120,000 gathered. Hundreds had to be turned away.

‘Patience rewarded’

Entertainment included the Black Cats, the Royal Navy’s helicopter display team, and the Red Arrows, who were greeted with huge cheers on Sunday afternoon.

Muir Moffat, chairman of the organising committee, said: “Despite the poor weather earlier in the weekend, we’re delighted their patience was rewarded with a wonderful mass launch to end the fiesta on a real high.

“As soon as the skies cleared, the banks around the arena became packed with high spirited audiences waiting for the night glow on Saturday and we had a capacity crowd for the balloon launch on Sunday.

“It’s clear that people are still consumed by the magic of this event.”

The event, which is in its 32nd year, celebrated 50 years of modern ballooning.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-10983241