Richard BrassettTwo people have been rescued from floodwater as heavy rain and strong winds brought by Storm Bram have impacted travel across Devon and Cornwall.
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said two people were “safe and well” after being rescued from the roof of their car after it got stuck in floodwater at about 06:45 in Teigngrace, Devon.
Fire services have been dealing with other weather-related incidents, road closures have been put in place and Great Western Railway has advised passengers to plan ahead for their journeys.
BBC South West’s senior broadcast meteorologist David Braine said Dartmoor had seen a month’s worth of rainfall in the past 48 hours.
Penzance CouncilHe said: “Dartmoor so far in December has received 267mm of rain, well above its monthly average total.”
The forecaster said Plymouth had also received its normal monthly rainfall for December – 125mm – in the first eight days of this month.
The Environment Agency said between 10:00 on Monday and 10:00 Tuesday, there had been 106mm of rainfall at White Barrow, 87mm in Princetown, 82mm in Dartmoor, 72mm in Bovey Tracey, 56mm in Tavistock and 51mm in Liskeard.
Richard Brasset, 60, who lives by the River Foye in Lostwithiel, Cornwall, said he was “tremendously worried” and a lot of cars were “completely flooded” and “underwater”.
He said: “High tide was roughly 08:30 this morning and it’s 11:30 and it hasn’t gone down at all.
“The wind is preventing the water going out and obviously we’re going to have another tide this evening coming in.
“I’m fully expecting it to be flooded by this evening which is a tremendous worry.”
He said his home had flooded four times since 2009.
Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said by 10:00 crews had attended nine incidents involving the public getting stuck in floodwater or “arching power lines”.
The service added: “Every year people lose their lives when their vehicles enter the water, some of those occur during periods of flooding when water encroaches on to normally well drained carriageways or when normally benign river crossings (fords) become raging torrents.
“We would advise people to consider whether their journey is essential due to the amount of standing water and debris on some roads.”
Devon and Cornwall Police’s road policing team said: “Give extra time and space. It’s horrid out, with poor visibility from spray and surface water.”
Penzance Council also advised people to take care when driving as there was a lot of surface water and debris on the roads.
Kate JonesBBC South West broadcast meteorologist Bee Tucker said heavy rain and strong winds had battered the region on Monday evening through to Tuesday.
She said: “Gusts of 50-60mph are likely throughout the day, with the south coast of Devon, Cornwall and the Isle of Scilly bearing the brunt of the winds.”
The forecaster said the amber weather warning for parts of Devon had been in force until 10:00 GMT with yellow wind and rain warnings in place until 16:00 on Tuesday.
Great Western Railway said due to flooding between Par and Newquay, the line was closed and train services running to and from these stations were cancelled.
It said urged passengers to check services before travelling adding: “Disruption is expected until the end of the day.”
Devon County Council urged everyone to “please take care, expect fallen trees, debris and flooding, especially near rivers and the coast” in the “difficult travel conditions”.
Jen Murphy, from the council’s highways control team, urged people to not drive through the floodwater: “A lot of it’s fast flowing so there’s no way of knowing how deep it is or what sort of debris might be in it.
“We urge people to take care in places like that where roads are close to rivers and think about their routes and plan their routes.”
She advised people to call the emergency services if there was an immediate danger to life and to contact the council about road obstructions.
Ali SoperThe Environment Agency issued flood warnings across Devon and Cornwall, including the Plymouth Sound, River Dart and the south Cornwall coast.
The warnings include:
- Plymouth Sound, Wembury Bay and tidal estuaries
- River Avon
- River Axe
- River Dart
- River Plym
- River Teign
- River Yealm
- South Cornwall coast
- South Devon coast
Kate JonesBBC reporter David Dixon was at Porthleven, Cornwall, at 08:30 and said the waves were “pounding” the harbour.
“The outer harbour looks as if the sea is boiling,” he said.
“There are huge waves pounding into the jetty causing massive sprays and as you look out towards the institute, there’s waves coming right over the road.
“The wind is coming from the sea so it’s pushing the spray right over the town and over towards the Lizard.”
He advised people to keep a safe distance.
Tom Bolt, from Falmouth Coastguards, urged people to take care around the coast as the sea conditions were “extremely unsafe” and “unpredictable”.
He said: “Please stay away from cliffs, rocks as large waves can break at any time without warning so we urge people to stay clear of them.”
If he said people wanted to take photographs around the coast to do it from their own vehicle or at a distance.
Mr Bolt added: “If you see anyone in difficulty please call 999 and ask for the coastguard.”
Met OfficeSt Michael’s Mount causeway has been closed, as well as Cornwall’s Winter Wonderland.
National Trust’s Cotehele, in Saltash, has also closed its doors due to high winds.