Motorists stranded, homes flooded, roads closed as rains hit Plymouth

PLYMOUTH is bracing itself for further downpours as it counts the cost of a weekend during which it was the wettest city in the UK.

More than 20mm of rain fell in a six-hour period on Saturday leaving shops and homes flooded and people stranded in their cars.

In South East Cornwall a woman died after falling into a river swollen by heavy rain.

Plymouth Argyle’s Home Park tie against Barnsley was abandoned mid-match, as were dozens of other local football and rugby clashes.

A further 6mm fell yesterday – and there’s more wet weather to come, forecasters have warned.

Robin Downton, of the Met Office, said that today would be dry before a frost during the night – but the rain is expected to return on Tuesday afternoon.

He said that Wednesday through to Saturday is expected to be ‘unsettled’, with ‘showers and longer spells of rain’.

On Saturday at about 8pm, Paula Deacon, aged 58, fell into the river at Hessenford, near Seaton in South East Cornwall.

She was with her husband as they crossed the Seaton river next to the Copley Arms pub.

Witnesses reported that after crossing the footbridge, she slipped and fell down the riverbank into the water.

Police officers, firefighters, coastguards and a rescue helicopter were tasked to search for Mrs Deacon. A police dog handler dragged her from the water further down the river and carried out resuscitation. She was taken to Derriford Hospital but was pronounced dead.

Her husband, Rod, said the couple had left the pub and were walking home. He said: “We were having a couple of beers in the pub. We were walking home. She slipped on the way back and fell into the river.”

Villagers in the close-knit community were yesterday too upset to talk about the tragedy.

Saturday’s conditions pushed Plymouth’s firefighters to the limit. Due to the dozens of flooding reports, retained fire crews had to be drafted in from Yelverton, Bere Alston, Ivybridge and Tavistock.

While city firefighters admit that the level of rainfall was ‘unusual’ in such a short space of time, they blame blocked drains for the number of incidents.

Shop owners in Hyde Park also criticised Plymouth City Council for not clearing drains they had reported blocked. About eight shops in Hyde Park were flooded.

Due to flood damage, Anne Cooper, shop manager at the Plymouth and Cornwall Cancer Fund charity shop, said it would be closed for around three weeks.

She said: “The water came in so quickly it was frightening.

“It was a foot deep outside the shop and it was coming in like a river. The carpet has had to be pulled up and the electrics have gone.

“Fortunately we were able to move much of the stock so it didn’t get ruined. It has hit our charity effort no end.”

Dawn Kent, sales assistant at Hyde Park’s Thresher store, added: “I complained about the drains last Wednesday and heard nothing.

“We’re always getting flooded here. It’s not good enough.

“We emptied 15 buckets of muddy water from the shop.

“I have worked here for 10 years and this was the worst I have seen it.”

Richard House, white watch manager at Plympton fire station, said: “There was heavy rainfall but the problem was caused largely by blocked drains. It created chaos.

“It was not the only reason but it was the most common.”

Mr House said Saturday afternoon’s downpours were some of the worst he had seen.

He added: “It was one of the worst periods I have seen for the numbers of incidents going on at the same time.

“We were on our way to jobs and crews from other stations were passing us to go to others.

“It was unusually heavy rainfall.”

A Plymouth City Council spokesman said: “The weather conditions over the weekend were exceptional and some drains were simply overwhelmed by the sheer volume of water.”

Three people had to be rescued from two cars by firefighters in Paradise Road, Devonport after getting stuck in flood water.

In Venton, Sparkwell, firefighters improvised a boat using a triple extension ladder and salvage sheets to rescue a man whose van became stuck in one metre of flood water.

Firefighters found him stranded on the roof of the van.

Two homes in Wellhay Close, Elburton, were also flooded as well as a home in New Park Road, Lee Mill and four lower ground floor basement flats in Connaught Avenue, Mutley.

Water also had to be pumped from a pub’s cellar in Octagon Street, Stonehouse.

In Millbridge, Stoke, a 30m by 10m area of Fellowes Place was affected by flooding. In places the water was 18 inches deep.

Scaffolding also had to be secured at a property in Whitleigh Green with high winds threatening to blown the structure apart.

Traffic was brought to a standstill on Embankment Road and Gydnia Way as water covered both lanes.

John Hutchinson, forecaster with MeteoGroup, said: “In between noon and 6pm on Saturday, Plymouth was the wettest place in the whole of the UK. Up to 20mm of rainfall was recorded in the city, which was the largest amount of rainfall recorded in the country for that period of time.

“It is no surprise that areas flooded in Plymouth and surrounding areas.

“The ground is already quite saturated due to prolonged periods of rainfall in recent days.

These pictures were uploaded to iHerald by HiddenPlymouth on Saturday night. Upload your own at iHerald.

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