Clovelly flooding damages homes

 

The flooding followed an hour of heavy rain

Heavy rain has caused flash floods in a Devon coastal village, damaging homes and pulling up cobbles in the street.

Villagers in Clovelly said about 2in of rain had fallen in an hour earlier.
The worst of the flooding was said to be in the main part of the village - a popular tourist destination - where one villager described the scene as a "brown river".
Devon and Somerset fire service was expected to be in the village late into the evening.
Gary Hanger, who lives in Clovelly, said: "People who have lived here all their lives, 50 years or more, have never seen anything like this.
"It's about 2in deep. It's just pouring into some houses, in one door and out the other."
Clean-up operation
Resident Sally Stevens said: "The water swept down the street and a few houses are flooded. The heavy rain has gone now, but the damage has been done."
Paula Cook, another resident in the privately owned village, said: "It was like the high street had been turned into a river. I have never seen anything like it."
Residents and volunteers are expected to spend much of the night helping those whose properties have been damaged.
Bysha Beani, from Clovelly Lifeboat Station, said: "We have been making an effort along with everyone else in Clovelly to help those most in need.
"The floodwater has caused a lot of damage, mostly to people's homes, and it seems the whole village is trying to do what it can to clean up."
The fishing village is traffic-free and popular with tourists for its tranquillity and its donkeys, which traditionally carry goods up the hill in the centre.

Resident Ellie Jarvis said the "street was like a river"
Clovelly has been privately owned by the same family since 1738. About 1,600 people live in the village and Clovelly Bay.
Other parts of Devon have also been affected by the heavy rain.
The A39 at Parracombe in Devon was shut both ways in the late afternoon due to flooding at Broadoak Hill.
Low-lying parts of Tiverton have been flooded, with the river Lowman bursting its banks.
Kevin Martin, who runs the Inn on the Green pub, said: "We can't open the front door at all. People are having to come in around the back."
The county council said the A388 outside Southcott Garage, Holsworthy, had flooded.
The A3072 between Bude in north Cornwall and Holsworthy was blocked in places.
David Quance, who lives at Sutcombe Mill, between Holsworthy and Bradworthy, said: "The water has come over a wall our neighbour had built.
"It's coming out of the entrance to their drive at tremendous force."