Flooding Hits The South West

The main road between Milverton and Wellington in Somerset is flooded.

These pictures were taken by our Somerset correspondent David Woodland, and show floodwater coming off the fields at Chipley.

Torrential rain has hit large parts of the south west today, causing havoc for commuters, businesses and homeowners.

The bad weather swept in late last night, with Dunkerswell on the Devon and Somerset border being worst hit - with 62 millimetres of rain falling.

It's been a busy 24 hours for the emergency services, with the region's fire services dealing with around 200 calls.

A number of people have had to be rescued, including two pulled from their car in Curry Mallet near Taunton.

Seth Conway reports:

The B3162 at Broadwindsor in Dorset is closed between the B3163 and Norway Lane (Lewesdon Hiill). Several tonnes of mud and trees are on the road following a landslip. The Council Highways department is dealing with the problem.

This is one example of the flooding that has hit the West Country, causing big delays during the rush hour. Our Somerset Correspondent David Woodland took this shot of the A38 near Wellington where surface water meant one lane was impassable.

The Met Office has now released its rainfall figures for the 12 hours between 9pm last night and 9am this morning.

• Dunkeswell Aerodrome, Devon 62 mm
• Liscombe, Somerset 54.4 mm
• Exeter Airport, Devon 54 mm
• Okehampton, Devon 54 mm
• North Wyke, Devon 45.8 mm
• Portland, Dorset 39 mm
• Plymouth Mountbatten, Devon 38.2 mm
• Cardinham Bodmin, Cornwall 34.4 mm
• Bude, Cornwall 30.6 mm
• Yeovilton, Somerset 30 mm

• Chivenor, Devon 23.6 mm
• Camborne, Cornwall 21.6 mm

This radar picture from the Met Office shows the pattern of heavy rain moving across the West Country overnight

The Met Office has issued figures for the rainfall in the 12 hours between 7pm yesterday and 7am today

• Dunkeswell Aerodrome, Devon 49.6 mm
• Exeter Airport, Devon 42.8 mm
• Okehampton, Devon 42.2 mm
• Liscombe, Somerset 38.4 mm
• Plymouth, Mountbatten, Devon 29.2 mm
• Cardinham, Bodmin, Cornwall 27.4 mm
• Bude, Cornwall 25.4 mm