The valley regularly suffers from flooding

An east Devon estate may have to make a managed retreat from some land because of future rising water levels, it says.

Landowner Clinton Devon Estates said it was considering the action in the Lower Otter Valley after a report examined possible climate change effects.

The report it commissioned said sea level rises, more storm surges and increased rainfall were all expected to increase risks of flooding.

The estate said it would discuss changes with other involved parties.

The valley, parts of which are next to the sea, regularly floods.

East Devon District Council clears nearby culverts regularly to prevent flooding, but if sea levels did rise in the coming years the estate said it was expected to become more difficult.

One of the estate’s stakeholders, Budleigh Salterton Cricket Club, sits on the flood plain. One option as part of a managed retreat may be to move it to higher ground. The club said it was not keen to move unless necessary.

John Varley, of the estate, said the landowner had “an interest in getting the right solution for the next 50 or 60 years”.

He said: “We commissioned the report because the flood risk from upstream flooding, and from the sea breaching banks, will have a dramatic impact on a range of stakeholders, from the cricket club, to the sewage works, to footpaths, to farmland.”

Clinton Devon Estates said it would discuss the report’s findings with the Environment Agency and East Devon District Council.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-11231580

No flights were cancelled because of the flooding

Exeter Airport has been hit by flash flooding, with water reaching 3ft (90cm) high in places.

Firefighters were called out when the boiler room and basement of the terminal flooded at about 1510 BST.

Water also entered the main terminal’s check-in area and the nearby B3184 link road was flooded. An airport car park was opened to allow traffic through.

The airport said the flood caused delays to a few services but no flights were cancelled.

One fire crew used a pump to remove water.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-11238218

Neath Port Talbot and Swansea areas were worst affected

Flooding has hit homes and roads in south west Wales following torrential rainfall during the night.

Fire crews went to about 20 incidents in four hours and worked through the night to help those affected.

An elderly woman was rescued when houses were washed out in a street in Baglan, Port Talbot.

Merthyr Tydfil fire station has also been hit by flooding. There are some road closures, including at Langland, Swansea where a pothole has opened up.

Mid and West Wales Fire Service said they have worked through the night to help people who have been flooded in their homes, following the torrential rain.

About eight houses on a street in Baglan near Port Talbot were washed out leaving one elderly woman needing to be rescued.

She spent the night with a neighbour as firefighters continue to pump out the water.

A spokesman said the busiest time was from 2200 BST to 0200 BST. The main areas affected were Baglan, Briton Ferry, Neath, Port Talbot, and Port Eynon and Reynoldston in Swansea.

Crews were called to pump out water from domestic properties.

Pot hole

South Wales Fire Service say Merthyr Tydfil Fire Station has been affected with minor flooding overnight.

Water was leaking through a window and affected all floors. It happened at about 2330 BST.

South Wales Police said part of the carriageway and footpath at Higher Lane, Langland, Swansea, has been closed by the council after a pot hole, 4ft 6ins in diameter, opened up.

It happened at about 1740 BST on Wednesday.

Police also said many single track roads on Gower have been affected by the rain overnight but that the situation seems to be easing now.

Roads closed due to flooding included the A4118 Gower Road and the A474 at Neath Port Talbot although the A4063 Cymer Road between Caerau Road and Woodlands Terrace re-opened on Thursday morning.

The A48 from Pentwyn to the Pentylla junction 41 of the M4 is also closed.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-11093742

STORMY weather tore down trees and flooded properties overnight on Sunday.

Flash flooding ravaged four family homes in Salerno Place, Hamworthy, in the middle of the night, reaching a foot deep in the gardens and ankle depth inside.

Water seeped through walls and under doors, lifting carpets, wrecking tumble dryers and washing machines, and knocking out the power and phones in one house.

One resident described the water, which quickly surrounded their house as between midnight and 2am, as “like a river.”

One mum-of-two, who alerted her neighbours to the danger, said: “We came out to the garden and it was ankle deep and getting higher and faster so I started banging on the doors to get the other houses up.

“It was seeping through the walls – any little cracks. There’s a few things ruined but what can you do?”

She said they were up until 2.30am battling the water – then it disappeared.

“It just vanished. Within 15 minutes it went,” she added.

Another resident said: “It was flowing like a river. It was knee high in the garden.”

His wife added: “The children’s slide was floating in the garden.”

Dorset Fire and Rescue said they received a number of calls overnight on Sunday thanks to the heavy weather.

A crew attended a shop in High Street, Swanage, after reports that a leak in the roof was affecting the electrical supply at midnight.

And a crew from Christchurch were called to Airspeed Road in Mudeford at 2.20am to deal with flooding in an industrial property.

Throughout the early hours reports came in of fallen trees blocking roads, including at Fair View Crescent in Broadstone; on the B3078 between Wimborne and Cranborne; Huntick Road, Lytchett Minster; and Roke Road, Bere Regis. A fallen branch partially blocked the road at Badbury Rings, but was shifted by a member of the public.

The rest of the week is forecast to be changeable, with sunshine today, followed by rain on Wednesday and Thursday, and things improving by Friday.

Parkstone Library was closed yesterday after heavy rain through the weekend leaked through the clock tower and into the entrance lobby.

Work was being done to resolve the problem and the library is being reopened as soon as it’s safe – expected to be lunchtime today.

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/8348419.Dorset_homes_damaged_as_storm_wreaks_havoc/

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

Torrential rain and gale-force winds hit parts of England and Wales overnight after the Met Office issued a series of severe weather warnings.

Up to 4cm (1.5in) of rain fell in just an hour in some areas of Devon and Hampshire – more than half of the average monthly total.

No major flooding is reported but the rain has caused delays on some roads.

The heaviest rain has spread eastwards to Yorkshire, the East Midlands, West Midlands, Humberside and East Anglia.

The BBC Weather Centre said the situation was easing with London and south-east England now mainly clear.

But rain will be followed by gale-force winds and gusts reaching more than 60 miles per hour, especially in more exposed parts of Kent, the southern counties, Sussex and Lincolnshire.

The Highways Agency said flooding had closed the A249 near Sittingbourne in Kent, affecting the northbound section between the M2 and A250.

There is a flood warning in place for the the River Sheppey at Shepton Mallet and Croscombe in Somerset.

Slow-moving, heavy rain is also expected in north-west Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Lots of calls

A BBC Weather Centre spokeswoman said: “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.

Thorney Island, in Hampshire, and Plymouth, in Devon, both reported about 4cm (1.5in) of rain overnight.

But emergency services reported no major incidents, with Hampshire Fire Brigade saying it had taken a large number of calls, mostly from people concerned about water in their cellars.

London Fire Brigade also said it had been relatively busy and was “getting busier”, but was not dealing with any significant problems so far.

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

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