Tearful smallholder's fears for livestock after they nearly drowned in Bedfordshire floods

A smallholder wept as she spoke of the desperate attempt to rescue her animals after flood water swept across her land.

Joanna Johnson, 54, said the banks of a drainage pond alongside the A421 burst sending floods rushing into her small farm at Marston Moretaine in Bedfordshire.

The dual-carriageway has been underwater and closed to drivers since the deluge at the weekend.

The Met Office said two months rain fell in just 24 hours across Bedfordshire and a further amber warning has been issued.

Ms Johnson, a parish councillor, said her Shetland sheep, goats, minature ponies, chickens and ducks were all threatened by the torrent on Sunday night.

She was forced to call for help as 50 of the animals struggled in the swiftly rising waters.

"The water came in at such a rate that the whole place was underwater within 10 or 15 minutes and we're talking four or six feet of water.

"All the animals were bedded down for the night in their sheds and I couldn't get them out so I put out a WhatsApp group message to the villagers.

"They all came down in their droves and went against fire brigade instructions and went in and in grabbed an animal, pulled an animal out, and we managed to get all the animals out, some had to swim out but most we managed to pull out through the deep water."

Since then Ms Johnson has been forced to construct a make-shift shelter near the road to protect the animals, and has been sleeping in her car near them in case the waters rise again.

Some sheep, ponies and goats have been moved to other fields but Ms Johnson says she has been warned she cannot return them to her land.

She said her smallholding had also been flooded in January and that investigations had proved drainage pipes to the pond near her land were blocked.

The devoted animal-lover claims nothing has been done to fix the problem.

Ms Johnson, who does not live at the farm, said the animals were only saved because she had been working late on Sunday evening and was at the site when the waters rushed in.

She became emotional as she considered the further heavy rain forecast for Thursday night, saying: "We've got storms coming, I don't know whether this will withstand the storms tonight but I will be in there with my ewes making sure that the roof stays on and that they are ok."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know