Family stranded in holiday cottage over Christmas

The cottage was cut off for more than a week. Credit: Simon Hughes

A family from Melksham who were on holiday in Gloucestershire over Christmas had to be rescued from their cottage after being marooned for more than a week.

Simon Hughes, 44, and his extended family – a total of eight adults, four children and a dog – had rented out Ferryman's Cottage on the banks of the River Severn in Uckinghall near Tewkesbury.

They arrived at the property after driving through six inches of water already on the ground. Water levels began to rise and the Environment Agency closed a flood gate, which shut the cottage off from the rest of the village.

After spending the week inside playing board games, the family were evacuated on Saturday, when the West Midlands Search and Rescue Service arrived in two boats.

The family were rescued by the West Midlands Search and Rescue Service. Credit: Simon Hughes

Our reporter Bob Constantine has been to meet the family, safely back home in Melksham: