'The water was just below the ceiling': Five people rescued from flooded Bath pub

  • Watch: Fire crews rescued five people and two dogs from The Bathampton Mill near Bath after the River Avon burst its banks

Five people and two dogs have been rescued by fire crews after becoming trapped inside a pub after the River Avon burst its banks following heavy rain caused by Storm Bert.

Avon Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to a report of five people stuck inside The Bathampton Mill, in Bath, at around 1pm on Monday 25 November.

Station manager for Bath and Kingswood Fire Station Darren Staples said the water level in the pub "had got up to just below the ceiling height".

Emily Abbott, who works at the pub, said she had never seen anything like it before.

She said: "We were flooded in February but I don't think it got to this level. I thought we'd have a bit of an early warning cause we're upstream, but not the case at all, it literally just came out of nowhere."

  • Emily Abbott told ITV News West Country the flooding "came out of nowhere"

She added: "We woke up expecting it to be wet, but not two and a half feet deep on the decking which it was, and since then it's come up another three feet.

"It wasn't the sort of thing that we were expecting to happen on Monday afternoon."

Storm Bert brought widespread disruption to the South West over the weekend, with roads closed, trains cancelled and hundreds of homes left without power.

Torrential rain caused flash flooding in many areas, with Wiltshire one of the worst counties affected.

In Bradford-on-Avon, the water level of the River Avon reached its highest point on record, measuring 3.43m according to the government's flooding service.

Previously, the highest level recorded was 3.42m in December 2013. The government's flooding service said the top of the normal range is 1.58m.

  • Mayor of Bradford-on-Avon, Cllr Jack Vittles, told ITV News West Country the level of flooding has been "catastrophic"

Mayor of Bradford-on-Avon, Cllr Jack Vittles, said the flooding has been "catastrophic"."

He said: "This is becoming increasingly common and it rained heavily here in January and flooded, but this is the worst we've seen since December 2013.

"We've had town wardens out since 5am and we've had flood wardens out since 3am, doing everything they can to go above and beyond in helping people with their properties and businesses and making sure everybody stays safe."

  • "It cuts the town in two - you just can't do anything," said resident Jeremy Wyre

One resident told ITV News West Country the flooding has been an "absolute nightmare".

Jeremy Wyre said: "It cuts the town in two - you just can't do anything.

"There is no way to get across to the other side of town. God knows what's happening with all the deliveries, the supplies. And it means that traffic gets backed up on all the roads out of town."

  • Watch: Aerial footage shows Chippenham submerged by floodwater

Meanwhile, in Chippenham, the town centre was brought to a halt and around a dozen businesses were forced to close after the high street was submerged by floodwater.

The roads around The Bridge Centre roundabout - one of Chippenham's busiest junctions - were also left underwater.

One resident who lives near the roundabout said she was "shocked" after floodwater seeped into her house.

Julia Armstrong said: "I didn't expect it. It's very disheartening, very upsetting."

  • Julia Armstrong told ITV News West Country she was 'shocked' after her home was flooded

Ms Armstrong's daughter, Atlanta, said the damage caused by the flooding has been "awful."

"The sofa is saturated. Can't even save the telly, the fridge freezer, because obviously the plug sockets have all gone, the washing machine, the toastie maker, all the contents in the cupboards," she said.

Residents told ITV News West Country the flooding in the town is the "worst" they've ever seen.

Marjorie and Brian have lived in Chippenham for 50 years and said this is the worst flooding they have ever seen here

Brian said: "We've seen the bottom of the town flooded before, but this is the worst we've ever seen in Chippenham."

Marjorie added: "We've lived here coming up 50 years in Chippenham, and I've never seen this before, all the water up here. Never. And I feel so sorry for the people over there who have completely flooded.

"I know obviously the river has burst its banks, but I just can't believe it."

Fire and rescue services evacuated dozens of properties in Yate after heavy rain on Sunday night caused flooding

Elsewhere, in Yate, South Gloucestershire, emergency services evacuated dozens of properties on Slimbridge Close on Sunday 24 November after large amounts of floodwater covered the road.

The Met Office said more than 80% of November's average monthly rain fell in less than 48 hours in the town.

Sue Carslake, who has lived in Yate for more than 40 years, said the water covered the ground floor of her house.

She said: "Water was cascading everywhere. It was a nightmare. It was so quick - I started to get things out but it was just like a river, literally, the whole thing was just like a river coming right the way through."

Sue said she is now spending the day cleaning up

Sue's husband, Mark, added: "It was unbelievable really. I was sat down watching telly and I went outside to have a quick cigarette, and when I came back in, all this water had just appeared.

"I thought we might have had a burst pipe or something - I didn't have a clue."

Sue said she is now spending the day cleaning up and assessing the damage.

She said: "I'm just trying to get everything further up the house, and then we've hired a VAT to get as much water out of the carpet as possible. We've just got to get on with it."